logo
China used embassies to undermine Rafale sales: French intelligence

China used embassies to undermine Rafale sales: French intelligence

China deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of French-made Rafale jets after they saw combat in India and Pakistan's clashes in May, French military and intelligence officials have concluded, implicating Beijing in an effort to hammer the reputation and sales of France's flagship fighter.
Findings from a French intelligence service seen by The Associated Press say defence attaches in China's foreign embassies led a charge to undermine Rafale sales, seeking to persuade countries that have already ordered the French-made fighter — notably Indonesia — not to buy more and to encourage other potential buyers to choose Chinese-made planes.
The findings were shared with AP by a French military official on condition that the official and the intelligence service not be named.
Four days of India-Pakistan clashes in May were the most serious confrontation in years between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, and included air combat that involved dozens of aircraft from both sides.
Military officials and researchers have since been digging for details of how Pakistan's Chinese-made military hardware — particularly warplanes and air-combat missiles — fared against weaponry that India used in airstrikes on Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale fighters.
Sales of Rafales and other armaments are big business for France's defence industry and help efforts by the government in Paris to strengthen ties with other nations, including in Asia where China is becoming the dominant regional power.
France is fighting what it calls a disinformation campaign against the Rafale
Pakistan claimed its air force downed five Indian planes during the fighting, including three Rafales. French officials say that prompted questions about their performance from countries that have bought the fighter from French manufacturer Dassault Aviation.
India acknowledged aircraft losses but didn't say how many. French air force chief Gen Jerome Bellanger said that he's seen evidence pointing to just 3 Indian losses — a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi and a Mirage 2000, which is an earlier generation French-made jet. It was the first known combat loss of a Rafale, which France has sold to eight countries.
'Of course, all those, the nations that bought Rafales, asked themselves questions,' Bellanger said.
French officials have been battling to protect the plane from reputational damage, pushing back against what they allege was a concerted campaign of Rafale-bashing and disinformation online from Pakistan and its ally China.
They say the campaign included viral posts on social media, manipulated imagery showing supposed Rafale debris, AI-generated content and video-game depictions to simulate supposed combat. More than 1,000 social media accounts newly created as the India-Pakistan clashes erupted also spread a narrative of Chinese technological superiority, according to French researchers who specialize in online disinformation.
French military officials say they haven't been able to link the online Rafale-bashing directly to the Chinese government.
Intelligence assessment says Chinese officials lobbied potential clients to ditch French planes.
But the French intelligence service said Chinese embassy defence attaches echoed the same narrative in meetings they held with security and defence officials from other countries, arguing that Indian Air Force Rafales performed poorly and promoting Chinese-made weaponry.
The defence attaches focused their lobbying on countries that have ordered Rafales and other potential customer-nations that are considering purchases, the intelligence service said. It said French officials learned of the meetings from nations that were approached.
Asked by AP to comment on the alleged effort to dent the Rafale's appeal, the Ministry of National Defence in Beijing said: 'The relevant claims are pure groundless rumors and slander. China has consistently maintained a prudent and responsible approach to military exports, playing a constructive role in regional and global peace and stability.' In recent years, China has stepped up disinformation campaigns on global social media platforms like X, Instagram or Facebook, using networks of state-sponsored influencers, sites that pose as news organizations, and fake social media accounts to spread narratives from Beijing.
France's Defence Ministry said the Rafale was targeted by 'a vast campaign of disinformation" that 'sought to promote the superiority of alternative equipment, notably of Chinese design.' France considers the jet a strategic French offering
"The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, exported abroad and deployed in a high-visibility theater," the Defence Ministry wrote on its website.
'The Rafale was also targeted because it represents a strategic French offering. By attacking the aircraft, certain actors sought to undermine the credibility of France and its defence industrial and technological base. The disinformation campaign therefore did not merely target an aircraft, but more broadly a national image of strategic autonomy, industrial reliability, and solid partnerships.' Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales, including 323 for export to Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Indonesia. Indonesia has ordered 42 planes and is considering buying more.
China may be hoping to weaken the security relationships that France is building with Asian nations by spreading worries about the equipment it supplies, said Justin Bronk, an airpower specialist at the Royal United Services Institute, a defence and security think tank in London.
'From a point of view of limiting Western countries' influence in the Indo-Pacific, it would make sense for China to be using the performance of Pakistani weapon systems — or at least purported performance — in downing at least one Rafale as a tool to undermine its attractiveness as an export,' he said.
'They certainly saw an opportunity to damage French sales prospects in the region."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nvidia's CEO says it has US approval to sell its H20 AI computer chips in China
Nvidia's CEO says it has US approval to sell its H20 AI computer chips in China

New Indian Express

time18 minutes ago

  • New Indian Express

Nvidia's CEO says it has US approval to sell its H20 AI computer chips in China

Huang recently met with Trump and other U.S. policymakers and this week is in Beijing to attend a supply chain conference and speak with Chinese officials. The broadcast showed Huang meeting with Ren Hongbin, the head of the China Council for Promotion of International Trade, host of the China International Supply Chain Expo, which Huang was attending. Nvidia is an exhibitor. Nvidia has profited enormously from rapid adoption of AI, becoming the first company to have its market value surpass $4 trillion last week. However, the trade rivalry between the U.S. and China has been weighing heavily on the industry. Washington has been tightening controls on exports of advanced technology to China for years, citing concerns that know-how meant for civilian use could be deployed for military purposes. The emergence of China's DeepSeek AI chatbot in January renewed concerns over how China might use the advanced chips to help develop its own AI capabilities. In January, before Trump began his second term in office, the administration of President Joe Biden launched a new framework for exporting advanced computer chips used to develop artificial intelligence, an attempt to balance national security concerns about the technology with the economic interests of producers and other countries. The White House announced in April that it would restrict sales of Nvidia's H20 chips and AMD's MI308 chips to China. Nvidia had said the tighter export controls would cost the company an extra $5.5 billion, and Huang and other technology leaders have been lobbying President Donald Trump to reverse the restrictions. They argue that such limits hinder U.S. competition in a leading edge sector in one of the world's largest markets for technology. They've also warned that U.S. export controls could end up pushing other countries toward China's AI technology.

What S Jaishankar said after meeting President Xi Jinping in China
What S Jaishankar said after meeting President Xi Jinping in China

Hindustan Times

time28 minutes ago

  • Hindustan Times

What S Jaishankar said after meeting President Xi Jinping in China

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met Chinese President Xi Jinping during his first visit to China since ties between India and China soured in 2020. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during a meeting with the Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Beijing, China.(X/@DrSJaishankar) Sharing a picture from the meeting, Jaishankar wrote on X that he spoke to Jinping about the development of India-China bilateral ties and also conveyed greetings of President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to him. 'Apprised President Xi of the recent development of our bilateral ties. Value the guidance of our leaders in that regard,' a part of Jaishankar's tweet read. The external affairs minister was accompanied by his counterparts from the SCO member nations when he met Jinping. S Jaishankar is currently visiting China, his first to the neighbouring country since tensions sprung up due to the Galwan Valley clash along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in 2020. Before Xi Jinping, Jaishankar met Chinese Vice President Han Zheng in Beijing, and also urged dialogue between India and China. As neighbouring nations and major economies, an open exchange of views and perspectives between India and China is very important. I look forward to such discussions during this visit," Jaishankar had said. Ties between India and China began to significantly improve last year in October, following a meeting between PM Modi and President Jinping on the sidelines of a summit in Kazan in October 2024. "I am confident that my discussions in this visit will maintain that positive trajectory, " said Jaishankar. After the crucial meeting in Kazan, India and China had announced plans to disengage troops in Depsang and Demchok, the two fashpoints in Ladakh where the Indian and Chinese armies clashed since 2020. Jaishankar's visit to China is part of his two-nation visit, the first one being in Singapore that he recently wrapped up. He will also hold bilateral talks with his counterpart Wang Yi while in China.

Trump Ukraine Aid Plan Publicity Stunt? 'NATO Can't Fund Weapons For Kyiv,' Warns Ex-French General
Trump Ukraine Aid Plan Publicity Stunt? 'NATO Can't Fund Weapons For Kyiv,' Warns Ex-French General

Time of India

time38 minutes ago

  • Time of India

Trump Ukraine Aid Plan Publicity Stunt? 'NATO Can't Fund Weapons For Kyiv,' Warns Ex-French General

/ Jul 15, 2025, 10:43AM IST Washington's latest plan to route military aid to Ukraine through NATO is being met with skepticism, particularly from retired French Brigadier General Francois Chauvancy. He warned that NATO lacks the legal, financial, and logistical capacity to arm a third country on this scale. The aid package, announced by President Donald Trump during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, involves European nations funding the weapons while the U.S. coordinates distribution. Trump claims the deal is significant, with reports of 17 Patriot systems potentially heading to Ukraine. Critics argue the plan is politically motivated and unlikely to shift the war's outcome. Moscow, meanwhile, continues to condemn the West's involvement, warning it only prolongs the bloodshed.#UkraineWar #NATO #Trump #MilitaryAid #PatriotMissiles #UkraineConflict #Moscow #Geopolitics #DefenseNews #GlobalTensions

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store