Operation Sindoor and China’s Shadow Conflict
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Summary
On the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, China acknowledged its assistance to Pakistan against India. Amid rising conflicts and a mischievous neighbourhood, India should not hold back and relax. New Delhi should prepare both militarily and diplomatically for the unseen conflict.
On the eve of the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor, China has for the first time confirmed that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during the 86-hour India-Pakistan war. In the interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, engineers from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) discussed their direct involvement in supporting Pakistani forces on the ground.
Among them was Zhang Heng, an engineer from AVIC’s Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute. Zhang stated that his team was motivated by a desire to provide superior on-site support and to ensure their equipment achieved its full combat potential. Echoing this sentiment, a second engineer, Xu Da, likened the J-10CE fighter jet to a “child”. He remarked, “We nurtured it, cared for it, and finally handed it over to the user. And now, it was facing a major test”. The J-10CE is the export variant of the J-10C, a sophisticated 4.5-generation Chinese aircraft equipped with Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars and advanced air-to-air missiles.
India’s Response
The Chinese support was no surprise to India. In 2018, then Army Chief General Bipin Rawat recognised the dual threat as he said, “the two-front is a real scenario. Much has changed from before in terms of our capabilities … The Army, Navy and IAF are now jointly very much prepared for such an eventuality”. Operation Sindoor can be considered the testing ground of this two front challenge.
In July 2025, Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh accused China and Turkey of collaborating with Pakistan during the May conflict. In his address he noted, China provided critical equipment, ammunition, and real time satellite intelligence on Indian forces. Lt. Gen Singh equates the Chinese strategy to its “36 Stratagems”, whereby it uses the adversaries neighbour (here Pakistan) to cause conflict while avoiding direct confrontation. This time China used the India-Pakistan war as a “live lab”, testing its military hardware.
Despite these coordinated efforts between China and Pakistan, India managed to inflict significant damage to the cross border terror infrastructure in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), as well as on Pakistan’s missile systems, airbases and other key military installations. The ‘Iron Brothers’ faced strategic setback and humiliations as the Indian Air Force bypassed the Chinese HQ-9 air defence systems, striking deep in Pakistan. Further, Indian forces successfully neutralised Chinese HQ-9 long range SAM launchers, LY-80 Fire Radars, PL-15 missiles, and YLC-8E anti-stealth radar systems.
The Future Conflict
India must draw vital lessons from this brief conflict. The next provocation from Pakistan may come sooner than expected, particularly as the Field Marshal Asim Munir seeks to maintain its grip over the hybrid regime in Islamabad.
While a direct war between India and China may not be imminent, Beijing will continue to bolster its proxy. The bigger picture in the sub-continents shows that China remains committed to providing cutting-edge technology to Pakistan. The idea is to ensure that Pakistan remains at par with – if not ahead – of India. By acknowledging its technical support, China has opened a Pandora’s Box for future India-Pakistan conflicts, which will likely see even more complex Chinese technologies put to the test. Furthermore, India’s defense partnership with Russia may face hurdles. Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Western sanctions have already pushed Moscow into a deeper dependency on Beijing. As India continues its strategic balancing act, the longstanding New Delhi-Moscow bond faces unprecedented pressure.
Strategically, India has relied heavily on the United States, hoping Washington’s influence might curb Chinese aggression. However, China recently demonstrated its capabilities by providing advanced technology and weaponry to Iran during the US-Iran conflict. New Delhi’s diplomatic challenge is further complicated by the fact that the US interests in the Middle-East has brought it closer to Pakistan. India should not overlook President Donald Trump’s bonhomie with Field Marshal Asim Munir.
Future conflicts and India’s swift response will depend on the lessons learned from this short war. Apart from this, New Delhi should recalibrate its diplomatic alliances with the West and Middle East. Furthermore, India should be prepared to take every possible measure to deter its adversary from engaging in future misadventure.
Disclaimer: Views expressed are of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Statecraft Institute.