Chinese weapons pass combat test in India-Pakistan clash

Chinese weapons have passed a significant combat test during the recent India-Pakistan clash, according to French state-owned TV France 24.

The clash saw Pakistan’s Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets shoot down Indian aircraft, including French-made Rafales.

In its report, ‘France 24‘ said that in its first battlefield test against Western arms, Chinese weapons mostly hit the mark, sparking interest in some military circles and alarm in some capitals.

In his address in the National Assembly, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan’s J-10Cs shot down three Indian Rafales. He was referring to the Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon, a Chinese multipurpose fighter jet.

The Chinese delegation was very pleased with the J-10 performance on the battlefield, Dar continued. “Being a friendly nation, they expressed great happiness,”

Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Washington DC-based Stimson Center, highlighted two key facts from the clash.

Indian weapons weren’t as effective as thought, and India’s strategic intent might be more ambitious than expected.

Carlotta Rinaudo, a China expert at the International Team for the Study of Security Verona, notes that perception is key in initial assessments, calling China’s J-10 jet performance a “big victory in terms of perception for a country that hasn’t fought the war.

She said that the clash is likely to enhance international recognition and confidence in Chinese arms, challenging long-held views of their inferiority to Western arms.

Read More: How Pakistani jets shot down Indian Rafale, other aircrafts

Sun however warns against facile assessments of Chinese arms superiority, noting that there are several factors contributing to battleground effectiveness. “At the same time, it’s also the training of the pilots, the coordination among different weapons systems that are important,” she said.

Despite China’s military success, the clash exposed Beijing’s limited diplomatic power, with the US playing a key role in mediating the conflict.

In the end it was left to the US to exert the diplomatic weight to pull the two South Asian rivals back from the brink, the report added.

“I don’t think the Chinese were in the position to mediate anyway because the Indians would not accept Chinese mediation,” said Sun. “This is a demonstration of the mediation power that US possesses over both parties while in the Chinese case, it is not perceived as a neutral party, it almost entirely chose to side with Pakistan.”