Overview
- China’s state broadcaster CCTV aired interviews Thursday in which AVIC engineers confirmed on-site technical support to Pakistan during India’s four-day Operation Sindoor in May 2025.
- Engineer Zhang Heng described working at a support base under air-raid sirens and extreme heat to keep Chinese-made systems performing at full combat potential.
- The focus was Pakistan’s J-10CE fighter fleet, with a second engineer, Xu Da, likening the jet to a “child” tested in combat after handover to the operator.
- Pakistan is the only foreign user of the J-10C series, and the Pentagon’s 2025 report confirmed delivery of 36 jets, while SIPRI data shows roughly 80 percent of Pakistan’s recent arms imports came from China.
- The public admission follows earlier Indian claims of Chinese real-time assistance and has prompted a political response at home, with Congress on Saturday seeking a Parliament debate over the government’s China policy.