Photo: PTI
A new report released in New Delhi by a US Congressional commission has renewed scrutiny of Operation Sindoor, saying Pakistan’s gains in its brief military clash with India earlier this year were largely made possible by advanced Chinese weaponry.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, in its 2025 Annual Report, said China appeared to use the crisis as an opportunity to test and promote its cutting-edge defence systems.
The confrontation between India and Pakistan in May 2025, following a terror attack in Pahalgam, was described as one of the most intense engagements between the two countries in decades, the Wire reported.
According to the Commission, Pakistan’s military success over India in its four-day clash showcased Chinese military equipment.
While China was not identified as the instigator, the panel observed that Beijing used the situation to trial its weapons and publicise its capabilities, particularly in the context of its ongoing border tensions with India.
The report says Pakistan’s use of Chinese systems, which were reportedly involved in bringing down India’s French-made Rafale jets, became a key talking point in China’s diplomatic messaging. Chinese embassies, it notes, promoted these outcomes in the weeks after the clash to support their defence sales campaigns.
It also states that the conflict marked the first combat use of several modern Chinese platforms, including the HQ-9 air defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles and J-10 fighter aircraft, effectively turning the fighting into a field test for these technologies.
The Commission warns that such demonstrations also advance China’s commercial goals. It cites examples such as Chinese officials reportedly convincing Indonesia to pause a purchase of Rafale jets already in process, furthering China’s inroads into other regional actors’ military procurements.
The report places these developments within China’s broader strategy of expanding military cooperation with Pakistan, noting increased supplies of sophisticated hardware and closer intelligence and operational links, which it says have wider implications for India.
In another section, the Commission comments on the India-China border issue, observing that the two countries differ sharply in how they approach a long-term solution to the border dispute.
It notes that India seeks a durable resolution that does not appear as a concession and satisfies domestic pressure to take a firm line on China, while Beijing tends to use high-level, well-publicised dialogues to reach partial resolutions.