A recent report by the US Defense Department (Pentagon) has made a big revelation regarding the military relations between China and Pakistan. According to the report, China is giving J-10C advanced fight jets to Pakistan. All these aircraft have now joined the Pakistan Air Force.

The American report says that on one hand, China talks about reducing tension along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India, but on the other hand, it is adopting the strategy of creating pressure in South Asia by giving such a large scale arms to Pakistan.

giving huge military help to Pakistan

China has decided to provide 36 J-10C state-of-the-art multi-role fighter aircraft to Pakistan. Of these, 20 aircraft have been delivered by May 2025. These aircraft are equipped with AESA radar, long range missiles and electronic warfare systems. J-10C has been included in Pakistan Air Force, which makes its air power much stronger.

Apart from this, China and Pakistan are jointly making JF-17 fighter aircraft. China has also given armed drones to Pakistan. The report says that Pakistan is becoming a ‘pressure valve’ for China to put pressure on India.

Can J-10C compete with Rafale?

J-10C can compete with Rafale if it detects and fires the Rafale first. The Clash of 2025 proved that this is not a weak jet. But Rafale is considered better due to its twin-engine reliability, combat-proven record, longer range and more versatile multi-role capability (ground attack, nuclear, recon). Most Western or independent analyzes place Rafale at the top of the 4.5 generation.

China is disturbing the balance of power

This military cooperation can affect the balance of power in South Asia. China talks about peace with India, but is maintaining indirect pressure on India by giving arms to Pakistan. The possibility of Chinese military bases in Pakistan in the future has also been raised, due to which China’s reach may get closer to India.

China is adopting dual policy strategy

China is trying to reduce tension on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with India. After the disengagement agreement between the two countries in October 2024, steps have been taken towards peace on the border. The report says that China wants to take advantage of this to stabilize relations with India, so that defense cooperation between India and America does not deepen further. But at the same time, there is doubt in India about China’s intentions and relations will remain complicated due to mutual rivalry.

When India launched Operation Sindoor against the Pahalgam terrorist attack, Pakistan’s weapons fell short. Although the outcome of this conflict was ceasefire, Pakistan suffered a major defeat. Now after 7 months, a shocking report from the Pentagon has come out. It has been revealed that India fought not only with Pakistan but also with China, because China had helped Pakistan on its backhand.

China helped Pakistan in three big ways

China adopted a ‘grey-zone’ strategy, in which Pakistan kept fighting from the front and China kept pressurizing India from behind through intelligence, cyber attacks, information and diplomatic means. This is a new model, where China was trying to weaken India through Pakistan without directly getting involved in the war.

• Intelligence Support: China provided real-time monitoring of India to Pakistan through its satellite coverage and electronic surveillance, which enabled Pakistan to do better targeting and operational coordination.
• Information Warfare: China ran online campaigns in which India’s allegations were blurred, Delhi’s claims were questioned and Pakistan’s narrative was spread internationally.
• Cyber ​​Activity and Diplomatic Maneuvering: Cyber ​​attacks and diplomatic methods prevented the conflict from escalating, but maintained pressure on India.

To help Pakistan, China did not field the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) directly, but helped from behind, so that it could easily deny to the world that it was not involved in it.

Why did China adopt a new war strategy?

According to the Pentagon report, China considers India as its main strategic challenge. Uses Pakistan as a ‘pressure valve’ so that India cannot increase defense cooperation with America and remains always busy. China considered Operation Sindoor a test case of its ‘grey-zone’ strategy, where cyber, economic coercion, information warfare and proxy destabilization come first.

China had made a big move against India

The report said that the disengagement agreement between India and China on LAC in October 2024 was also temporary, so that India does not come closer to America. Experts believe that this disclosure is a new challenge for India. Now India will have to be prepared not only for the threat from Pakistan but also for the joint ‘hybrid’ threat from China and Pakistan.

What happened in Operation Sindoor?

Operation Sindoor was a 4-day conflict that lasted from 7 May 2025 to 10 May 2025. On April 22, 2025, 26 civilians were killed in a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, after which India launched missile and air strikes on 9 terrorist targets in Pakistan. India said it was to target terrorist infrastructure, while Pakistan called it an attack on civilian areas. There were air and missile attacks from both sides in the conflict, but India had taken a decisive lead.