Video of firework display in China falsely linked to India-Pakistan conflict
"Pakistan's victory celebration in China," reads the sticker text on a TikTok video posted on May 15, 2025.
The clip shows an elaborate drone and fireworks arrangement in the shape of a crescent moon.
It surfaced days after a May 10 ceasefire halted four days of intense fighting between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, which was triggered by a deadly attack on tourists in the Indian-administered side of Kashmir in April (archived link). New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing the assault, a charge the latter denies.
More than 70 people on both sides were killed in the jet fighter, missile, drone and heavy artillery attacks, with both sides now claiming victory in the worst violence between the neighbours in decades (archived link).
China is Pakistan's largest arms supplier and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar confirmed that Islamabad used Chinese jets in the conflict (archived link).
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Screenshot of the false TikTok post, captured on June 3, 2025
The same footage was also used in similar posts on X, Facebook and Instagram.
But the fireworks display predates the latest conflict -- it was put on by a Chinese city known as the birthplace of fireworks that hosted similar shows in April.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a similar clip shared on the official X account of the Chinese embassy in the United States on May 5 (archived link).
"Hunan Liuyang's fireworks show just took it to the NEXT LEVEL. Witness "White Moon Blooms" pierce the night as galaxy glitter cascades over rippling waters," reads the video's caption.
Liuyang city in China's central Hunan province is considered the birthplace of fireworks (archived here and here).
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Keyword searches on TikTok sister app Douyin found the video shared by the Chinese embassy was posted by a Hunan-based user on April 26. The user also shared various videos of fireworks displays in Liuyang.
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Screenshot of the Douyin post from April 26, 2025
A subsequent keyword search for "Liuyang" and "white moon blooms" on Douyin also found dozens of similar videos of the drone and fireworks display, with no mention of Pakistan.
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Screenshot of search results for "Liuyang" and "white moon blooms" on Douyin
The city hosts several drone and fireworks displays each month, but a keyword search on Douyin led to videos of the full display on May 10 -- when the ceasefire came into effect -- which was themed around Mother's Day and did not feature a crescent moon.
AFP has debunked other false and misleading claims related to the conflict between Pakistan and India here.
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