China admits to providing technical support to Pakistan during 2025 conflict with India
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China has publicly acknowledged for the first time that its personnel provided on-ground technical support to Pakistan during last year’s conflict with India, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
The admission came during an interview aired by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, in which engineers from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) spoke about supporting Pakistani operations during the conflict that followed the April 2025 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
The attack killed 26 people and led to India launching Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Indian officials had said more than 100 terrorists linked to groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen were killed in the strikes.
According to the report, AVIC engineer Zhang Heng said Chinese personnel were stationed at a support base during the conflict and faced extreme conditions while assisting Pakistani operations.
“At the support base, we frequently heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air-raid sirens,” Zhang said, adding that temperatures reached nearly 50 degrees Celsius.
Pakistan operates Chinese-made J-10CE fighter jets, developed by an AVIC subsidiary. Zhang said the team wanted to ensure the aircraft performed at “full combat potential”.
Another AVIC employee, Xu Da, described the performance of the J-10CE during the conflict as “inevitable” and said the aircraft had delivered as expected when given the opportunity.
Indian military officials had earlier claimed that China provided extensive support to Pakistan during the conflict. Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh said in July 2025 that 81 per cent of Pakistan’s military hardware was of Chinese origin and alleged that China used Pakistan as a “live lab” to test weapons systems in real conflict conditions.
He also claimed Pakistan received live operational updates from China during military-level talks.
According to SIPRI data cited in the report, China has sold Pakistan $8.2 billion worth of arms since 2015, with Pakistan accounting for 63 per cent of Chinese arms exports between 2020 and 2024.