China's Strategic Weapons Testing During India-Pakistan Conflict: US Commission Findings Reveal Military Opportunism

China tested the HQ-9 air defence system during the India-Pakistan conflict (Representational)

New Delhi:

According to a bipartisan US commission's annual report, China "opportunistically" utilized the India-Pakistan conflict in May to "test and promote" its defence capabilities.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission's report, released on Tuesday, indicated that Beijing leveraged the four-day confrontation to "test and showcase the sophistication of its weapons systems, which proves valuable in the context of ongoing border tensions with India and its expanding defence industry objectives".

"This conflict marked the first instance where China's modern weapons systems, including the HQ-9 air defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and J-10 fighter aircraft were deployed in active combat, effectively serving as a real-world field test," stated the report.

Following the conflict, China reportedly offered Pakistan 40 J-35 fifth-generation fighter jets, KJ-500 aircraft, and ballistic missile defence systems in June, according to the report.

In the aftermath of the confrontation, Chinese embassies highlighted the "successes" of their systems during the India-Pakistan clash, apparently aiming to "enhance weapons sales," according to the report, which is based on committee hearings and research drawing from publicly available information and media reports.

The report also clarified that describing the May conflict as a "proxy war" would exaggerate China's role as an "instigator".

China also orchestrated a "disinformation campaign" to undermine the reputation of the French Rafale fighter jet following the India-Pakistan conflict, the report revealed.

"According to French intelligence, China launched a disinformation campaign to obstruct sales of French Rafales in favor of its own J-35s, employing fake social media accounts to distribute AI and video game images purportedly showing 'debris' from aircraft destroyed by Chinese weaponry," the report detailed.

It further noted that Chinese embassy officials persuaded Indonesia to suspend an ongoing purchase of Rafale jets.

China has dismissed the report as "disinformation."

"This so-called 'commission' you mentioned consistently harbors ideological bias against China and lacks credibility," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated when addressing a question about the Rafale disinformation campaign during a media briefing.

"The commission's report itself constitutes disinformation," she added.

Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated following a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, which resulted in 26 fatalities.

After discovering cross-border connections to the attack, India initiated 'Operation Sindoor' on May 7, striking multiple terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Pakistan subsequently launched a major missile and drone offensive, though these threats were successfully countered.

In response, Indian forces targeted airfields in Pakistan. A ceasefire implemented on May 10 ultimately ended hostilities.