French fighter jets aren't up to it, claim Chinese agents
China used its diplomatic network to cast doubt over France's Rafale jets after four days of fighting between the two South Asian neighbours, the sources said.
Pakistan claimed its Chinese fighter jets had shot down five of India's aircraft that were made in France, including three Rafales.
Pakistan used China's J10-C Vigorous Dragon and JF-17 Thunder planes, armed with air-to-air missiles. It is thought to be the first time the J10-C has been used in active combat.
Findings from a French intelligence service, which has been seen by The Associated Press (AP), said defence attaches in China's foreign embassies began a drive to undermine Rafale sales. They have also been persuading countries, notably Indonesia, to backtrack on orders of the French jets and buy theirs.
India acknowledged it had lost aircraft in the fighting but declined to say which or how many.
Gen Jérôme Bellanger, of the French air force, said he had seen evidence pointing to just three Indian losses – a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi and a Mirage 2000, which is an earlier-generation French-made jet. It was the first known combat loss of a Rafale, which France has sold to eight countries.
'Of course, all those, the nations that bought Rafales, asked themselves questions,' Gen Bellanger told AP.
France's defence ministry said the Rafale was targeted by 'a vast campaign of disinformation' that 'sought to promote the superiority of alternative equipment, notably of Chinese design'.
'The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, exported abroad and deployed in a high-visibility theatre,' the ministry wrote on its website.
'By attacking the aircraft, certain actors sought to undermine the credibility of France and its defence industrial and technological base.
French officials said the campaign included viral posts on social media, manipulated imagery showing supposed Rafale debris, AI-generated content and video-game depictions to simulate supposed combat.
China's ministry of national defence dismissed claims it had launched a Rafale-bashing drive as 'pure groundless rumours and slander'.
'China has consistently maintained a prudent and responsible approach to military exports, playing a constructive role in regional and global peace and stability,' it said.
Experts said it would make sense for China to attack French technological prowess and reliability as part of its wider campaign to counter Western countries' influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
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