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Khaleej Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Chinese weapons get rare battle test in India-Pakistan fighting
Just over a week after a ceasefire with India was struck, Pakistan's foreign minister is visiting his country's largest arms supplier, China, with the performance of the weapons they supplied a matter of burning interest for analysts and governments alike. The most striking claim from four days of fighting earlier this month was Islamabad's contention its Chinese-supplied jets had shot down six Indian aircraft — including three French-made Rafale fighters — with some observers seeing this as a symbol of Beijing's rising military might. Experts who spoke to AFP cautioned that a lack of confirmed information and the limited scope of fighting made it difficult to draw solid conclusions about the Chinese equipment's prowess. Still, "this was a rare opportunity for the international community to gauge Chinese military hardware on the battlefield against Western (Indian) hardware", said Lyle Morris from the Asia Society Policy Institute. While China pours hundreds of billions of dollars into defence spending each year, it lags far behind the United States as an arms exporter. China's drones are used in counter-terrorism operations, and its weapons have been deployed by Saudi Arabia in Yemen and against rebel forces in African countries, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) senior researcher Siemon Wezeman told AFP. "But this is the first time since the 1980s that a state has used large numbers of Chinese weapons of many types in action against another state," said Wezeman, referencing the Iran-Iraq war when they were used on both sides. 'Primary option' Pakistan accounts for around 63 per cent of China's arms exports, according to SIPRI. In the recent fighting, Pakistan used the J10-C Vigorous Dragon and JF-17 Thunder planes, armed with air-to-air missiles. It was the first time the J10-C has been used in active combat, said the Stimson Center's Yun Sun. Islamabad's air defences also used Chinese kit — including the HQ-9P long-range surface-to-air missile system — and deployed Chinese radar as well as armed and reconnaissance drones. "This was the first sustained fight where the bulk of Pakistan's forces used Chinese weapons and, basically, relied on them as their primary option," said Bilal Khan, founder of the Toronto-based Quwa Defence News & Analysis Group. India has not officially confirmed any of its aircraft were lost, although a senior security source told AFP three jets had crashed on home soil without giving the make or cause. Rafale maker Dassault has also not commented. The Rafale is considered one of Europe's most high-tech jets, while the J10-C "is not even China's most advanced", said James Char from Singapore's Nanyang Technological University. But if Pakistan's claims are true, "this should not be surprising... considering that the Rafale is a multirole fighter, whereas the J-10C was built for aerial combat and is also equipped with a stronger radar," Char said. The Chinese air-defence systems, however, "do not appear to have been as effective as the Pakistan Air Force would have hoped", said Quwa's Khan, after India said it had neutralised one near the eastern border city of Lahore. If true, said SIPRI's Wezeman, that "would be a bigger success and more than balance the loss of some aircraft in the process". 'Significant reorientation' In the days after the dogfight reports, J10-C maker Chengdu Aircraft Company's stock soared over forty per cent. "We most likely will see more orders going to Chinese contractors," said the Stimson Center's Sun. However, "it will take time and significant reorientation by Chinese arms manufacturers for the country to be a big arms exporter", said Jennifer Kavanagh from the US think tank Defense Priorities. She noted that China "cannot mass-produce certain key inputs, including aircraft engines". Wezeman said he thought the stock markets "overreacted", as "we still have to see how well all the weapons used worked and if it really means much". Even if more data emerges, the conflict still does not reveal much about the Chinese military's own capabilities, the analysts said. China's own systems and weapons are much more advanced than what it exports. And while having high-tech hardware is important, "much more important is how those weapons are used", said Kavanagh. Brian Hart of CSIS said he would caution against "reading too much" into recent developments. "I don't think you can make direct comparisons to how these Chinese-made systems would fare in different environments against more advanced adversaries like the United States," he explained. "Since the number of data points is small and since we don't know much about the proficiency and training of the personnel on either side, it is hard to draw definitive conclusions," said Kavanagh.
New York Times
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
China's Fighter Jets and Missiles Get a Boost From the India-Pakistan Clash
When Pakistan said it had shot down multiple Indian fighter jets earlier this month, ripples from that claim stretched all the way to the South China Sea, to Taiwan. The Pakistani forces were flying Chinese-made J-10C fighters during the four-day conflict with India, and officials said Chinese missiles had brought down Indian planes. The J-10 jets, which Chinese media have dubbed the 'fighter of national pride,' have often been used in Chinese military exercises to menace Taiwan, the self-governing democracy that Beijing claims as its own. But they had not been battle-tested, leaving open the question of how well they would perform in actual combat. In China, commentators declared that question now answered. 'Taiwanese experts say the Taiwanese military has no chance against the J-10C,' The Global Times, a nationalist tabloid, crowed on Monday. The Chinese government has not directly confirmed the Pakistani claims, and India has not publicly confirmed losing any aircraft. But on Saturday, China's state broadcaster declared on social media that J-10C jets had recently 'achieved combat results for the first time,' with the post including a hashtag related to the India-Pakistan conflict. Zhou Bo, a retired senior colonel in the Chinese military, wrote in an op-ed article that the jets' success would boost Chinese confidence in future territorial disputes over Taiwan and the South China Sea. 'The real effect is actually for the world, including Taiwanese authorities, to see how China's defense industry has developed by leaps and bounds,' Mr. Zhou said in an interview. 'This is for them to think about.' Further stoking Chinese pride were reports that some of the Indian jets that Pakistan said it had downed were manufactured by France. Some analysts have cast the conflict as a proxy showdown between Western and Chinese arms capabilities, since India has been stepping up its purchases from the West, while Pakistan has drastically increased its military purchases from China. In addition to jets, Pakistan also used Chinese-made air-defense systems and long-range air-to-air PL-15 missiles in the clash with India, according to security officials and Syed Muhammad Ali, a senior Pakistani defense analyst. Pakistan claimed that the PL-15 missiles hit their targets, though India has said that they did not. The Chinese military's lack of real-world combat experience — it has not fought a war in more than 40 years — is a longstanding source of concern for some in Beijing. But China's leader, Xi Jinping, has made modernizing the military a priority. China has increased its defense spending even as economic growth has slowed, and it is now the fourth-largest arms exporter globally. Chinese and Taiwanese analysts alike said the recent conflict suggested that Chinese weapons were now on par with Western ones. 'This is the most convincing appearance of the Chinese weapon system on the world stage ' Hu Xijin, former editor in chief of The Global Times, wrote in a blog post. Mr. Hu added that the United States, having seen proof of China's prowess, would be less likely to intervene on Taiwan's behalf. Some in Taiwan have expressed similar concerns. Li Cheng-chieh, a retired major general in the Taiwanese military, said in an interview that the Pakistani air force's experience suggested that Taiwanese planes would have 'little chance of survival' against Chinese ones. 'Whether our fighter jets would even have the opportunity to take off is a question mark,' he said. Notably, amid the online nationalism, the Chinese government itself has been more reserved , focusing more on touting Chinese military advances in general. State media did not confirm the use of the Chinese jets in the conflict until more than a week after Pakistan said it had successfully deployed them. Beijing's restraint may stem partly from wanting to avoid imperiling a recent diplomatic thaw with India. The two giants have in recent months agreed to resume direct flights and cooperate on trade issues, after their relations fell apart with a deadly clash over a disputed land border in 2020. This month's conflict may also have raised questions about other Chinese equipment even as it seemed to show off the strength of its fighter jets. The Indian government said in a statement last week that its air force had 'bypassed and jammed Pakistan's Chinese-supplied air defense systems' in 'just 23 minutes, demonstrating India's technological edge.' On Monday, a spokeswoman for China's foreign ministry declined to address Indian claims that China had also provided Pakistan with active air-defense and satellite support during the clash. 'Both India and Pakistan are important neighbors of China,' the spokeswoman, Mao Ning, said. Ou Si-fu, a research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that Taiwan should not overreact to the recent incident. He noted that it was not yet verified that Chinese-made PL-15 missiles had actually shot down the planes. Still, he acknowledged that the recent developments should be closely studied. 'It's like an alarm clock, reminding everyone not to be careless,' he said. 'Taiwan has no capital to be careless.'
South China Morning Post
19-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
‘Unable to compete': Chinese dismiss India's Prachand combat helicopter against local Z-10
India's new Prachand combat helicopter would be 'a walkover' for China's Z-10 attack helicopter, a Chinese military magazine has claimed of the aircraft New Delhi may turn to for high-altitude operations against its neighbours. The Indian defence ministry in March approved an order for 156 of the helicopters in a contract worth more than US$7.3 billion with an eye to operations at 5,000 metres (16,400 feet) and above, including in the unresolved Himalayan border with China and the Kashmir region dispute with Pakistan. In the latest skirmish in Kashmir last week , India's French-made Rafale fighters were reportedly shot down by Pakistan's Chinese-made J-10C jets. 02:29 Chinese nationalism surges across social media as viral video mocks downed Indian jets Chinese nationalism surges across social media as viral video mocks downed Indian jets The LCH Prachand, meanwhile, is India's first attack helicopter domestically designed and manufactured by the state-owned manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). It is designed for air-to-ground attack roles, including anti-tank, anti-infantry and close air support. Its first flight was in 2010 and the first batch – 10 for the Indian air force and five for the army – was introduced in 2022. The new order is expected to be delivered between 2028 and 2033. The two-seater lightweight attack helicopter is powered by two turboshaft engines co-developed with the French aerospace company Safran. It features a glass cockpit and low-observable design from lightweight composite materials to endure the monsoon season and achieve a higher service ceiling. Its modern avionics include digital, infrared and laser sensors suite, night vision and an automatic flight control system. The Prachand is equipped with a French M621 20mm cannon and four hardpoints for current and future missiles, including anti-tank, air-to-air and anti-radiation, as well as unguided rockets and bombs, integrated into a helmet-mounted sight control system. However, the Chinese media has questioned how much the helicopter could shift the power balance in high-altitude theatres, claiming that China's Z-10 – already mass deployed in Tibet and Xinjiang facing India – has 'overwhelming advantages' in its protection armour, manoeuvrability and weaponry capacity, in addition to recent improvements, such as a new millimetre-wave radar.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
China looms large over India and Pakistan's latest violence
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. India and Pakistan's escalating military attacks against one another in recent weeks, which brought the two antagonistic powers closer to major conflict than they had been in years, called attention to another stakeholder in the region: China. The global superpower has a keen interest in what happens in its national backyard. Following last month's terrorist assault on tourists in the contested Kashmir region, long claimed by both India and Pakistan, the two nuclear-armed nations' escalating violence seemed to resolve with a shaky but stable weekend ceasefire. But China's shadow looms large over the events of this past week, and the hints at the possibility of future violence between South Asia's longtime adversaries. Pakistan's claim that its forces used Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets to down Indian aircraft, "including the advanced French-made Rafale," may have provided the world's "first real glimpse" at how "advanced Chinese military technology performs against proven Western hardware," CNN said. While it hasn't fought a major war in nearly half a century, China has "raced to modernize its armed forces." As Pakistan's "primary arms supplier," Beijing is "likely watching intently" to gauge how well its weapons "have and potentially will perform in real combat." With China supplying the "vast majority" of Pakistan's military purchases, and India turning westward for its own arms, the result has "injected superpower politics into South Asia's longest-running and most intractable conflict," The New York Times said — particularly as China has "deepened its investment in its advocacy and patronage of Pakistan" in the face of warming Indian-American relations. The "most important global aspect" of this latest Indian-Pakistani violence is that for the first time, "Chinese military equipment has been tested against top-notch western equipment," said Sushant Singh, a lecturer at South Asian Studies at Yale University, at the Financial Times. The latest violence between India and Pakistan also offers a "potentially rich intelligence harvest" for China, which has advanced enough capabilities to "deeply scrutinize Indian actions in real time" across border installations, naval fleets, "as well as from space," Reuters said. While both India and China have "taken steps to strengthen their military facilities and capabilities" along their shared border, China's host of orbital satellites in particular "packs an intelligence gathering punch" compared to India's capabilities. While China and Pakistan enjoy close military and diplomatic ties, Beijing has conspicuously — and perhaps surprisingly — pushed for a measure of restraint during this latest spate of Kashmir violence. India and Pakistan are both "important countries in South Asia," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun last month. The "harmonious coexistence" between the two rival nations is "vital to the peace, stability and development of the region. Continued violence between India and Pakistan could threaten China's "very important equities in Pakistan, including sizeable levels of infrastructure investment and other assets," said regional analyst Michael Kugelman to the South China Morning Post. Moreover, Beijing's "recent efforts to improve relations with India may limit its response to diplomatic support for Pakistan," said The Diplomat. At the same time, Pakistan's alleged use of Chinese-made fighter jets to successfully repel Indian planes is "essentially a powerful advertisement" for China's arms industry, said military observer Antony Wong Dong to CNN. "All countries potentially looking to buy fighter jets, as well as China's regional rivals, will need to seriously reconsider: how should they face this new reality?"
Free Malaysia Today
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Manila, Beijing trade accusations on South China Sea confrontation
China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea. (Reuters pic) MANILA : Manila and Beijing gave conflicting versions today of a maritime confrontation around a contested shoal in the South China Sea, the latest incident in a longstanding dispute between the neighbours. A Philippine navy patrol near the disputed Scarborough Shoal encountered 'aggressive and unsafe' movements by two Chinese navy vessels earlier this week, the Philippine military said. China's military, meanwhile, accused the Philippine frigate of 'attempting to invade' the waters around the feature and said that it had organised naval and air forces to track and expel the vessel, in a statement released by its southern theatre command. The Scarborough Shoal, named for a British ship grounded on the atoll nearly three centuries ago, is one of Asia's most contested maritime features and a flashpoint for diplomatic flare-ups over sovereignty and fishing rights. 'Such threatening and provocative conduct can lead to misunderstanding that may escalate tensions and impact regional stability,' the armed forces of the Philippines said in a statement. China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including areas claimed by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. '(Scarborough Shoal) is China's inherent territory. We urge the Philippine side to immediately cease its infringement, provocation and distorted speculation,' Tian Junli, a spokesman for China's southern theatre said. 'Theatre troops are on high alert at all times, resolutely defending national sovereignty, maritime rights and interests, and resolutely maintaining peace and stability in the South China Sea region,' Tian added.
