A newly released report from the US China Economic and Security Review Commission says China used the four day India Pakistan conflict in May to test advanced weapons and boost arms sales by showcasing Chinese military systems in combat. The commission warns that China’s expanding military and intelligence cooperation with Pakistan is reshaping South Asian geopolitics and complicating US crisis management efforts.
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD — China strategically used this year’s brief but intense military confrontation between India and Pakistan as an opportunity to test its advanced weapons systems and promote Chinese military hardware to international buyers, according to a newly released report from a bipartisan US congressional commission.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which provides annual assessments to Congress on US-China relations, concluded that Beijing’s involvement in the May 7-10 conflict demonstrated how Chinese arms sales and intelligence support for Pakistan are fundamentally reshaping South Asian security dynamics and complicating American efforts to manage tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The Four-Day Conflict
The confrontation erupted following an April 22 militant attack near Pahalgam, a resort town in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, where gunmen killed 26 civilians, predominantly tourists. India attributed the attack to Pakistan-based militant groups and launched missile and air strikes targeting locations in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed territory.
Pakistan responded with retaliatory strikes involving drones, missiles, and artillery, triggering what analysts characterized as the most severe India-Pakistan military exchange in half a century. The fighting resulted in dozens of casualties on both sides before a US brokered ceasefire took effect on May 10. Both nations placed their forces on high alert and temporarily closed their airspace to each other’s commercial flights during the crisis.
China’s Combat Showcase
The USCC report alleges that Beijing “opportunistically leveraged the conflict to test and advertise the sophistication of its weapons,” effectively using the war as a real-world demonstration platform for Chinese military technology.
According to the commission, the four-day clash marked the combat debut of several modern Chinese weapons systems in Pakistan’s arsenal, including the HQ-9 air defense system, PL-15 air to air missiles, and J-10 fighter aircraft. The report suggests Pakistan’s “military success” during the confrontation was significantly dependent on this Chinese hardware, and that Chinese embassies subsequently promoted these battlefield performances in global outreach efforts aimed at boosting international arms sales.
The commission cited data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute showing that China supplied approximately 82 percent of Pakistan’s arms imports between 2019 and 2023, underscoring the depth of the military relationship.
Intelligence Allegations and Denials
The report also addresses controversial allegations regarding Chinese intelligence support during the conflict. India claimed that China provided Pakistan with “live inputs” on roughly 109 Indian military positions during the crisis—accusations that both Beijing and Islamabad dismissed as unfounded.
A senior Indian army officer publicly alleged in July that China had provided real-time intelligence during the fighting, while Indian media and security analysts warned of an emerging “China Pakistan axis” that threatens regional stability. These concerns reflect New Delhi’s growing unease about China’s expanding role in Pakistan’s military capabilities.
Pakistani military leadership and Chinese diplomatic officials have denied any direct Chinese operational involvement, maintaining that the conflict remained strictly a bilateral India Pakistan matter.
Post-Conflict Military Expansion
Following the May confrontation, China’s military engagement with Pakistan has reportedly intensified. The commission notes that Beijing offered Islamabad 40 J-35 fifth generation fighters, KJ-500 airborne early-warning aircraft, and new ballistic-missile defense systems in the conflict’s aftermath.
Despite facing significant fiscal pressures, Pakistan announced a 20 percent increase in its defense budget for 2025-26, raising military spending to approximately $9 billion a decision the commission links directly to the perceived need for enhanced Chinese military technology.
The report also highlights expanding Chinese-Pakistani military cooperation beyond the immediate crisis, including Warrior-VIII counterterrorism exercises conducted in late 2024 and China’s participation in Pakistan’s AMAN naval drills in early 2025. Indian commentators viewed these joint exercises as a direct security challenge to New Delhi.
Disinformation Campaign
The USCC report further alleges that China conducted an online disinformation campaign following the May fighting, designed to undermine confidence in India’s French manufactured Rafale fighter jets while promoting China’s J-35 fighter to potential international customers. The commission said this effort involved fabricated battlefield claims and coordinated social media activity.
Implications for Regional Security
The commission’s report situates the May conflict within the broader context of the long-running Kashmir dispute, which has triggered multiple wars and crises between India and Pakistan since 1947. However, it emphasizes that China’s deepening military involvement represents a new dimension to this historical rivalry.
The USCC concludes that regardless of whether Beijing directly guided Pakistani operations during the May conflict, the episode illustrates how future India Pakistan crises will likely unfold under the influence of China’s expanding defense industry, intelligence-gathering capabilities, and regional ambitions.
The commission urged closer US monitoring of the China Pakistan defense relationship and enhanced crisis-management planning, warning that Beijing’s role is complicating Washington’s ability to mediate between the two South Asian rivals and raising the stakes for regional stability.
The report underscores growing American concerns that China’s strategic outreach to Pakistan extends beyond traditional arms sales into real time intelligence sharing and operational coordination a development that could fundamentally alter the military balance in one of the world’s most volatile regions, where both India and Pakistan possess nuclear arsenals.
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