CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand \u2014 The outbreak of hostilities between India and Pakistan was short but sharp, including a long-range air battle on the night of May 6-7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of its most intriguing aspects was the confrontation between modern Chinese and Western weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan relies heavily on Chinese-designed or manufactured weapons, whereas India fields an array of Russian and Western equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Amid the fog of war, verifiable information is difficult to come by, as drones crisscrossed the border and aircraft traded beyond-visual-range missiles, said Brendan Mulvaney, director of the China Aerospace Studies Institute affiliated with the U.S. Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But he assessed that the conflict, christened Operation Sindoor by India, \u201cclearly proves that Chinese-made equipment, even the export versions, are modern and capable, and are going to be a force to be contended with in the future, beyond just the borders of China.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This skirmish essentially represented a testing ground for opposing weapons in a contemporary, real-world conflict. Lessons and performances will be carefully scrutinized by the two participants, as well as suppliers like China and France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire on May 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beijing is Pakistan\u2019s primary supplier of military equipment. This includes more than half its 400-odd fighters, primarily the JF-17 but also the J-10C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China has sold Pakistan $8.2 billion in arms since 2015. China was the world\u2019s fourth-largest arms exporter from 2020-24, and Pakistan was China\u2019s top customer. Islamabad consumed 63% \u2013 nearly two thirds \u2013 of Chinese weapon sales in that period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt this point it does look like a J-10C using a PL-15E shot down a Rafale,\u201d Mulvaney said, referring to the French-made fighter jet in Indian service. \u201cThere are reports of other planes being shot down, on both sides,\u201d he said, but admitted it is hard to confirm these claims\u2019 veracity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both sides are reticent to acknowledge losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social media contains photos of wreckage from Chinese-made PL-15E air-to-air missiles recovered by India. Mulvaney described the weapon as \u201cmodern, capable and largely equivalent to anything that the Indians could bring to bear, and it has a decent range, even the export version.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistani-owned Chinese aircraft and weapons \u201cdid what we\u2019d expect them to do, and performed completely within what our assessments have been,\u201d he added. \u201cBut we can\u2019t make any comparative assessments at this point.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India flew three different kinds of fighters, and it possesses fewer aids such as early-warning aircraft. This potentially advantages the Pakistan military in this kind of short-lived encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides long-range aerial engagements, both sides also launched drones and cruise missiles against enemy infrastructure, bringing air-defense systems into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pakistan depends on air defense equipment like Chinese-built long-range HQ-9, medium-range LY-80 (HQ-16) and short-range FM-90 (HQ-7) missile systems, whereas India fields the likes of the Russian S-400 and indigenous Akash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China was swift to trumpet the superiority of its kit. For example, the China Academy, which describes itself as an \u201cintellectual content network dedicated to helping global audiences understand China\u201d, published an effusive op-ed praising Beijing\u2019s tech prowess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The author, Hu Xijin, extrapolated, \u201cThis would mark one of the most convincing real-world performances of Chinese weapons on the global stage \u2013 and a breakthrough moment for China\u2019s military industry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such hyperbole is premature, but Mulvaney pointed out \u201cthere\u2019s no reason to think this won\u2019t give China a credibility boost, which could lead to further sales around the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chietigj Bajpaee, senior research fellow for South Asia at Chatham House, warned that China\u2019s position \u201cis far from neutral in terms of what its actions will be\u201d in the coming days, weeks and months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf we see signs of this tension between India and Pakistan escalating to a broader conventional conflict, or even a potential nuclear conflict, I think it\u2019ll play a more hands-on role,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Besides long-range aerial fights, both sides also launched drones and cruise missiles against enemy infrastructure, bringing air-defense systems into play.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":119612,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":45,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[45,160,11,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3492],"class_list":["post-69910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific","category-daily-news-roundup","category-global","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"TM27LSMCNNCQ7FUFXXLNTI3TSE","arc_canonical_url":"\/global\/asia-pacific\/2025\/05\/15\/pakistan-wields-chinese-weapons-against-india-and-analysts-take-notes\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n