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India.com
20-05-2025
- Business
- India.com
China the real winner...? How India-Pakistan conflict turned into a jackpot for Beijing, could be a game-changer for export of...
China the real winner...? How India-Pakistan conflict turned into a jackpot for Beijing, could be a game-changer for export of... The recent four-day military clash between India and Pakistan has caught world's attention. It began on the night of May 6, when India launched 'Operation Sindoor,' targeting terrorist camps inside Pakistan and Pakistan occupied Kashmir. In response, Pakistan attempted retaliatory strikes on Indian territory. Tensions escalated rapidly, bringing both nuclear-armed neighbors to the brink of war. However, a ceasefire was agreed upon on May 10, and since then, both sides have made strong claims about their actions and outcomes. While the spotlight has mostly been on India and Pakistan, another country has quietly emerged in the backdrop and one such is China. According to a report by the BBC, China may have gained the most from this conflict, especially when it comes to its defense industry. Experts point out that Pakistan used Chinese-made weapons and fighter jets during the conflict with India. This has unexpectedly boosted China's military export profile. The conflict acted almost like a live demonstration of Chinese arms in action, particularly their fighter aircraft, which could now attract attention from other countries looking to modernize their air forces. China's silent victory During the war-like confrontation, the skies became a battlefield, with both countries deploying drones, missiles, and fighter jets. India relied on aircraft built by France and Russia, while Pakistan took to the skies with Chinese-made J-10 and JF-17 jets. Though both India and Pakistan claimed their fighter jets did not cross each other's borders and only launched missiles from within their own airspace, the use of airpower was central to this conflict. Interestingly, this clash has unexpectedly become a turning point for China's defense industry. Some defense experts are calling it a 'Deepseek moment', a rare opportunity for Chinese weapons to prove their worth in real-world conflict, even though China was not directly involved. Zhou Bo, a Chinese military analyst, told the BBC that the air battle served as a massive advertisement for China's arms industry. Until now, China had little to show in terms of how its weapons perform in actual warfare. But this conflict, through Pakistan's use of Chinese jets, offered the world a glimpse of their strength. One of the most visible effects of the conflict was the spotlight on Pakistan's use of Chinese-made J-10 fighter jets. The attention these aircraft received helped boost the reputation of Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the Chinese manufacturer behind the J-10. 'Too early to say that Chinese jets had an edge' However, defense experts warn against jumping to conclusions. Professor Walter Ladwig from King's College London stated, 'It's too early to say that Chinese jets had an edge in this conflict.' So far, no concrete evidence suggests Chinese weapons decisively outperformed others. Still, the buzz around Chinese arms, especially on platforms like Chinese social media, paints a different picture. Carlotta Rinaudo, a researcher from the International Team for the Study of Security in Verona, noted that Chinese platforms are flooded with messages celebrating their country's defense technology. 'Even though there's limited information, the narrative being built is that China came out on top,' she said. World's largest arms exporter The US is currently the world's largest arms exporter, with China at fourth place. Until now, Beijing has mainly sold weapons to countries like Pakistan and Myanmar, but this conflict could help open doors to other nations that have traditionally looked to the West for military supplies.
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.'
Bloomberg
13-05-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
China Wins First Round in US Trade War, Says Ex-PLA Colonel
Former China People's Liberation Army Senior Colonel Zhou Bo believes China won the first round of the trade war with the US. He also told Bloomberg's Insight with Haslinda Amin how he thinks China should handle the Trump administration going forward. (Source: Bloomberg)
Bloomberg
24-02-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Why Trump May Be Friendlier to China Than Expected
A retired senior colonel with China's People's Liberation Army says Beijing is well-positioned to act as security guarantor for Ukraine if a ceasefire deal is reached with Russia. Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at Tsinghua University's Centre for International Security and Strategy, also says President Trump is turning out to be friendlier to China than expected, despite recent moves including tariffs and investment restrictions. He speaks with David Ingles and Rebecca Choong-Wilkins on "Bloomberg: The China Show." (Source: Bloomberg)
