China plays down its backing of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor after Gen. Singh's ‘live-lab' jibe

Time of India

a day ago

When India's Deputy Chief of Army Staff,
Lt Gen Rahul R Singh
, said Beijing gave Pakistan real-time help during
Operation Sindoor
, it was a blunt admission: 'China used the conflict as a live lab' to test weapons and tactics.
Mao Ning, China's foreign ministry spokesperson, brushed it aside. 'I am not familiar with the specifics you mentioned,' she said. She insisted China and Pakistan are close neighbours with 'traditional friendship' and their defence ties 'do not target any third party'.
While highlighting China-Pakistan's all-weather ties, Mao said India and Pakistan are and will always be each other's neighbours. They are important neighbours of China as well, she said.
"Over the past weeks and months, China has closely followed the developments between India and Pakistan, actively promoted talks for peace, and worked to maintain regional peace and stability. China welcomes and supports India and Pakistan in properly settling differences and seeking fundamental solutions through dialogue and consultation. China stands ready to continue playing a constructive role for this end', she said.
When pointed out that China's active support in providing live inputs to Pakistan during the conflict was contrary to her assertion that the close ties do not target any third party, Mao said, "I am not sure how that allegation came about. Different people may have different perspectives'.
Live Events
'What I can say is,
China-Pakistan relations
do not target any third party. This is China's policy. On India-Pakistan relations, we support the two sides in properly addressing differences through dialogue and consultation and jointly keeping the region peaceful and stable'.
The reality on the ground tells a different story.
A live-lab demonstration in plain sight
From 7 to 10 May, Indian forces struck terror camps inside Pakistan. Pakistan did not stand alone. Chinese satellites fed Islamabad fresh intelligence while Pakistani commanders kept lines open with their Indian counterparts. In the air, Pakistani J-10C fighters carried Chinese PL-15 missiles. The HQ-9 air defence systems scanning Indian aircraft were Chinese too.
Lt Gen Singh said China's support was decisive. Türkiye helped by sending hardware but not on the same scale.
The old playbook, upgraded
In 1965, 1971 and Kargil in 1999, China stayed in the background, offering diplomatic lines and token backup. This time it stepped forward with tools that changed the fight. China's intelligence and surveillance grid tied Pakistan's war effort together in real time.
Civilian Chinese fishing boats watched Indian naval movements. China's BeiDou satellites guided Pakistani missiles to their targets. Pakistani drones and cyber teams leaned heavily on Chinese methods. The so-called 'one-front reinforced' scenario has moved from theory to reality.
Propaganda, silence and nudges
Diplomatically, Beijing stayed just far enough away to dodge open blame. It did not condemn the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack until it had to. It echoed Pakistan's line, calling India's retaliatory strikes 'regrettable'. It helped dilute the UN Security Council statement so it did not name the group behind the attack.
Chinese state media did the rest. They amplified Pakistan's claims, exaggerated Indian losses and skipped over why India struck in the first place. Chinese analysts raised alarms about a possible nuclear escalation, urging calm. All of it was carefully timed.
Not just talk, hardware too
This was more than press statements. For the first time, Chinese fighters, missiles and air defences were pitted directly against Western systems India had bought. This was a live trial run for Beijing's arms industry. Reports say China used the fight to test platforms, gather performance data and market its gear abroad.
Pakistan is lining up more. After Sindoor, Islamabad wants China's J-35 stealth fighters, KJ-500 early warning aircraft and HQ-19 missile shields. The pipeline is wide open.
The idea that China and Pakistan are separate fronts is finished. Troops still guard Ladakh heavily despite last year's partial pullback. The ceasefire with Pakistan is shaky at best. India now needs soldiers, sensors and supplies ready on both sides at all times.
Lt Gen Singh called it a 'one-front reinforced challenge'. He is not wrong. Defence spending, which has slipped from 17 percent of central spending in 2014 to 13 percent now, needs to catch up. Talk and token strikes will not do.
If China can fight next to Pakistan without putting boots on the ground, India needs new ways to respond. It should not be trapped into predictable airstrikes alone. Hit supply chains, revisit old treaties like the Indus Waters, use diplomatic and economic levers where they hurt the most. Quiet pressure can work as well as open force.
When asked about Beijing's operational backing to Pakistan during the current normalisation process with India, Mao said Beijing wants steady growth of ties with New Delhi.
'Indeed, the China-India relations are at a crucial stage of improvement and development. We stand ready to work with India to move bilateral relations forward on a sound and steady track', she said.
Operation Sindoor was more than a counterstrike. It was a test run for China's next move. If India does not adapt, that lab Beijing ran in Pakistan will not be the last.