KARACHI: Pakistan achieved “military success” over India during a four-day conflict in May, thanks to the effectiveness of Chinese weaponry, according to a recent report, submitted to the US Congress.
“Pakistan’s military success over India in its four-day clash showcased Chinese weaponry,” said the report, submitted by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
The commission reports to Congress on the national security implications of the economic relationship between the US and China.
The annual report stated that the May conflict drew global attention as “Pakistan’s military relied upon Chinese weaponry and reportedly leveraged Chinese intelligence”.
In report to Congress, Economic and Security Review Commission says conflict with India served as ‘real-world field experiment’ for Chinese arms
It further cited claims from New Delhi that China provided Pakistan with “live inputs on Indian military positions throughout the crisis”, a claim that Pakistan denied and China neither confirmed nor denied.
According to the commission, the clash was the first time modern Chinese weapon systems, such as the HQ-9 air defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and J-10 fighter aircraft, were utilised in active combat, serving as a “real-world field experiment”.
As Pakistan’s largest defence supplier, China provided approximately 82 per cent of the country’s arms imports from 2019 to 2023.
The report suggested that while characterising the conflict as a “proxy war” might be an overstatement of China’s role, “Beijing opportunistically leveraged the conflict to test and advertise the sophistication of its weapons”.
In the weeks following the fighting, “Chinese embassies hailed the successes of its systems in the India-Pakistan clash, seeking to bolster weapons sales”, the report alleged.
During the conflict, Pakistan claimed to have downed five Indian planes, later raising the number to seven, and denied any of its own losses. US President Donald Trump later commented that, “essentially”, eight planes were shot down.
The conflict was initiated by an attack on tourists in India-held Kashmir, which New Delhi attributed to Pakistan without evidence. Islamabad denied responsibility and called for a neutral investigation.
New Delhi then launched airstrikes in Punjab and Azad Kashmir on May 7, beginning the four-day clash as Islamabad retaliated. The conflict finally ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.
Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2025
