China leveraged India-Pakistan conflict to trial and tout its military strengths: US panel
Report says Beijing tested modern weapons in the May clash and promoted their performance to boost its defence sales worldwide
“Beijing opportunistically leveraged the conflict to test and advertise the sophistication of its weapons,” a new report from the bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission stated bluntly.
It highlighted the combat debut of systems such as the HQ-9 air defence network, PL-15 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, and J-10C fighter jets, describing the skirmish as “the first time China’s modern weapons systems … were used in active combat, serving as a real-world field experiment”.
While cautioning that labelling the episode a full “proxy war” might overstate China’s role, the commission said that Pakistan’s military success over India during the four-day clash was useful in the context of its “ongoing border tensions with India and its expanding defence industry goals”.
China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
