- China denied providing active military support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor
- Chinese Foreign Ministry called China-Pakistan defence cooperation normal and said it did not target anyone.
- India alleged China gave live satellite inputs to Pakistan during the May 7-10 conflict
Beijing on Monday downplayed India's assertion that China provided active military support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, using the conflict between two nuclear-armed neighbours as a "live lab" to test various weapon systems. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Islamabad is its "close neighbour", and defence and security cooperation between the two nations was normal. But it denied targeting any "third party."
"I am not familiar with the specifics you mentioned. Let me say that China and Pakistan are close neighbours enjoying traditional friendship. Defence and security cooperation is part of the normal cooperation between the two countries and does not target any third party," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a media briefing while responding to a question on Indian Army's Deputy Chief Lt Gen Rahul R Singh's remarks.
When questioned on China's active support in providing live inputs to Pakistan, Mao said, "I am not sure how that allegation came about. Different people may have different perspectives".
"What I can say is, China-Pakistan relations do not target any third party. This is China's policy. On India-Pakistan relations, we support the two sides in properly addressing differences through dialogue and consultation and jointly keeping the region peaceful and stable," she added.
Mao also declined to comment on a question about reports from Paris stating that China has deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the performance of French-made Rafale jets following the India-Pakistan conflict.
"I am not familiar with what you mentioned," she said.
What India Said
Addressing a seminar in Delhi last week, Gen Singh said that while Pakistan was the "front face" of conflict, China was extending all possible support to its all-weather ally from behind. He noted that Turkiye also played a major role by supplying military hardware to Islamabad, adding that India was actually dealing with at least three adversaries during the May 7-10 conflict.
The Army officer also suggested that China used its satellites to monitor Indian military deployment, as the Pakistani military was receiving live inputs on it during the DGMO (Director General of Military Operations)-level phone talks.
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan. The military operation was in response to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes between the two South Asian neighbours that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10.
New Delhi has been maintaining that India's fierce counterattack that day forced Pakistan to plead for an end to the hostilities, and it only agreed to the ceasefire after the Pakistani DGMO contacted his Indian counterpart regarding the same.
What Pakistan Said On India's Allegation
Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir has also refused to accept India's allegation that Islamabad received external support during the four-day conflict, saying such assertions are "factually incorrect".
In an address to the graduating officers at the National Defence University Islamabad, Munir reiterated that any misadventure or attempt to undermine Pakistan's sovereignty will be met with a swift, and resolute response without any constraints or inhibitions.
"Insinuations regarding external support in Pakistan's successful Operation Bunyanum Marsoos are irresponsible and factually incorrect and reflect a chronic reluctance to acknowledge indigenous capability and institutional resilience developed over decades of strategic prudence," he said.
Beijing On India-China Relations
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said India-China relations are in a "critical moment of improvement and development", and Beijing would like to promote the steady growth of bilateral ties with New Delhi.
"Indeed, the China-India relations are at a crucial stage of improvement and development. We stand ready to work with India to move bilateral relations forward on a sound and steady track", she said.
