Chinese Military Evades Questions On Performance Of Weapons Used By Pak

The Chinese military on Thursday declined comment on the performance of China-made weapons used by Pakistan in the recent conflict with India.

Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesperson Sr. Col. Zhang Xiaogang also played down the reports of India recovering an unexploded PL-15E, a radar-guided beyond visual range missile, said to be the most advanced rocket of its kind produced by China.

"The missile you mentioned is an export equipment and has been shown at defence exhibitions at home and abroad many times", Zhang said in the Chinese defence ministry's first media briefing after the May 7-10 military conflict between India and Pakistan.

India and Pakistan are neighbours that cannot be "moved away", Mr Zhang said, parrying questions about Indian officials' assertions that China provided air defence and satellite support to Pakistan in the military conflict and Chinese weapons systems performed below average.

Considering the large-scale use of Chinese weapons supplies by Pakistan and the all-weather ties between the two countries, the Chinese official media showed considerable interest in the India-Pakistan military confrontation.

About two weeks after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians were killed, India carried out precision strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 under Operation Sindoor. Pakistan attempted to attack the Indian military bases on May 8, 9 and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions.

According to a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), China has emerged as the largest weapons supplier to Pakistan, accounting for 81 per cent of arms procurement of China's all-weather ally from 2020 to 2024.

The procurement included the latest jet fighters, radars, naval ships, submarines and missiles. Both countries jointly manufacture J-17 aircraft, the mainstay of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF). 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)