A new report from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission links Pakistan’s military success during its four-day conflict with India in May 2025 Operation Sindoo the extensive use of advanced Chinese weaponry. The clash, triggered by a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, became one of the most serious India Pakistan confrontations in decades. According to the report, China leveraged the crisis to test and promote its modern defence systems, which were employed in active combat for the first time. These included the HQ-9 air defense system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and J-10 fighter jets.
The panel notes that Pakistan’s use of Chinese systems to shoot down India’s French-made Rafale aircraft became a major selling point for Chinese embassies, which highlighted these successes in the weeks following the conflict to boost global weapons sales. The report claims this promotional campaign even influenced Indonesia to reconsider an ongoing Rafale purchase.
The Commission frames these developments within China’s broader regional strategy of deepening military and intelligence cooperation with Pakistan, with significant implications for India. It also observes longstanding asymmetry in how India and China prioritize resolving their border dispute, and questions whether the diplomatic commitments made by both sides in 2025 represent a temporary hedge or a longer-term shift toward normalization.
This article directly describes the advantage Pakistan currently has, along with the reshaping of the regional power within South Asia, due to China’s actions on strengthening the Pakistani Military. The successful use of the defense weapons and technologies highlights a major shift/change as India has always been more developed in regards to defense technologies. By China deciding to become part of that issue, it adds a whole new layer to the instability that currently goes on between both India and Pakistan. The event likely happened because Beijing saw an opportunity to test weapons in real combat while signaling its rising military influence. This threat of new technologies now pressures India to think of ways to modernize faster and keep up with Pakistan, creating that sense of competition.
Pakistan agreeing to utilize Chinese weaponry and technology demonstrates their want to be viewed as a threat and boost deterrence. They want to deepen military cooperation with China, and , and reinforce its standing within domestic politics. China is doing this for their own national interest, wanting to promote their weaponry globally, while strengthening their relationship with Pakistan, and growing their regional influence. India is kinda at that regrouping table, assessing ways to combat this china and pakistan alignment, possibly through diplomatic measures. Lastly, the US will utilize this information in order to counter China’s military expansion and encourage India to grow security cooperation with Washington.
This event directly reflects various major concepts we have learned in the last few classes. Realism is clearly highlighted as China, Pakistan, and India are seeking to fufill maximum security and power within an anarchical system. The idea of balance of power is directly described through China and Pakistan strategic partnership in order to constrain India. Constructivism gives that narration about the past tensions between India and Pakistan and how that shapes the state’s actions now. The military and industrial factors have heavily influenced how states use technology for geopolitical leverage. The competition between a multipolar Asia drives regional insecurity and shapes long term strategic alignments.