US House panel Chinese weaponry resulted in Pakistan’s success in ‘Operation Sindoor’
New Delhi: A new report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has said that Pakistan’s military success during its four-day clash with India in May 2025 widely referred to as Operation Sindoor was significantly driven by the deployment of advanced Chinese weaponry. The findings, published in the Commission’s 2025 Annual Report and reported by The Wire, state that Beijing used the conflict not only as a real-world testing ground for its next-generation military systems but also as a platform to push defence exports globally.
The India–Pakistan confrontation followed a terrorist attack in Pahalgam and quickly escalated into one of the most intense exchanges between the two nations in years. According to the US panel, the episode turned into “a showcase” for China’s modern weapons, with Beijing “opportunistically leveraging the conflict to test and advertise the sophistication of its systems,” especially at a time when its own border tensions with India remain unresolved.
The report notes that Pakistan’s deployment of Chinese platforms — including the HQ-9 air defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and J-10 fighter jets — marked their first use in active combat. These systems, it says, delivered results that Chinese officials later highlighted in coordinated diplomatic messaging.
One of the most striking observations in the report is the claim that Pakistan used Chinese weapons to shoot down Indian Rafale fighter jets — a point the Commission says became a “key selling point” in China’s defence market outreach. Citing diplomatic sources, the report states that Chinese embassies across several countries “hailed the successes of its systems in the India-Pakistan clash”, promoting them as proof of technical superiority. The panel adds that, in the aftermath, Beijing even convinced Indonesia to halt a Rafale purchase that was already underway, using the conflict’s outcome to further its arms-export footprint in Southeast Asia.
The Commission situates this episode within China’s broader strategic approach to South Asia. It writes that Beijing has deepened its defence links, intelligence sharing, and military cooperation with Pakistan in a manner that carries long-term implications for India’s security landscape.
In a separate section, the report examines the India–China boundary situation, highlighting what it describes as “an asymmetry in priorities”. While India seeks “a sustainable solution” that does not appear as a concession and satisfies domestic expectations to stand firm against Beijing, the report argues that China prefers “high-level, well-publicised dialogues to reach partial resolutions” without committing to deeper structural clarity.
The panel also questions whether India’s engagement with China in 2025 reflects a temporary hedging strategy linked to New Delhi’s trade negotiations with the United States, or whether it signals a substantive shift toward renewed normalisation.
The bipartisan Commission’s findings underline the increasingly overlapping military, diplomatic and commercial tensions in the region, with the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict emerging as a key moment in China’s expanding role in South Asian security dynamics.
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Delhi CM Rekha Gupta accuses Mamata Banerjee of stalling SIR; TMC hits back
Kolkata (PTI): Alleging that her West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee had approached the Supreme Court to stall the SIR exercise to prevent the identification of infiltrators, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday claimed that the people of the state have made up their minds to dislodge the Trinamool Congress from power.
The TMC countered strongly, urging Gupta to "look into her own backyard" and accused her of making absurd allegations against the TMC government without checking facts.
Addressing participants at the 'Nari Sankalp Yatra' organised by the BJP's women's wing at Science City auditorium here, Gupta alleged that the "hands-off" and appeasement policies of the TMC government had allowed thousands of infiltrators to enter the state in recent years.
She claimed that this had put a strain on basic rights such as access to water, electricity, ration, education, livelihood and the right to vote for genuine citizens.
"She wants to perpetuate this and hence is trying to stall the SIR exercise, which aims at identifying and deporting infiltrators. Imagine a chief minister going to the apex court to argue against an exercise meant to ensure free and fair polls," Gupta said.
The BJP leader alleged that appeasement politics had reached an "alarming level" under the TMC regime.
Raising concerns over women's safety, she claimed that women in the state were not secure despite having a woman chief minister.
Referring to the rape-murder of a woman doctor at RG Kar Hospital, Gupta alleged that the state government had failed to respond adequately to such crimes.
She also referred to the alleged rape of a woman medic in Durgapur and another law student on a Kolkata college campus, claiming that criminals had been emboldened to commit brutalities against women.
She alleged that in crimes against women, overall crime incidents and child marriages, West Bengal remained among the top -- "a slur on a state which once led intellectual and social movements and set examples for the rest of the country," she said.
Criticising the state government's welfare initiatives, she said schemes such as Kanyashree were built on "false claims" and asserted that women needed security rather than assurances.
Accusing the state government of blocking central schemes, Gupta alleged that funds worth "lakhs of crores of rupees" had not reached the poor due to non-implementation of programmes such as Ayushman Bharat, PM Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission by the state.
"You are only interested in renaming projects and taking credit," she said.
Gupta also alleged that the education sector in the state had been adversely affected, saying several state-run schools had closed due to a shortage of teachers and that the government was opposed to the National Education Policy.
Drawing a comparison with BJP-ruled Delhi, Gupta said, "People have already voted out 'Bhaia' (a reference to former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal). Now it is your turn to bid farewell to 'Didi'." Calling upon women to resist what she termed "strong-arm tactics", she urged them to assert their strength, invoking the imagery of Goddess Durga.
"Bengal has the right to live with dignity, and women have the right to live with dignity," she added.
Reacting to Gupta's allegations, West Bengal Women and Child Welfare minister Shashi Panja accused her of making "absurd allegations" against the Trinamool Congress government ahead of elections.
Panja alleged that during Gupta's tenure in Delhi, several incidents had raised serious concerns, including reports of missing young women and a blast near the Red Fort.
She also criticised the air pollution situation in the national capital, claiming that people were struggling to breathe.
The TMC leader said that despite being in power for a year, Gupta was making "tall claims" instead of addressing key issues in Delhi.
Panja further alleged that the Delhi CM visited West Bengal during elections to "peddle false allegations" against the state government.
Rebutting Gupta, the TMC said in a post on X said, "Madam why did you go off-script again? For your edification, here are the cold, hard facts: In total cases of crimes (IPC + SLL), Bengal ranks a respectable 15th, far safer than BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Gujarat, which languish near the bottom."
"In overall crime rate, Bengal sits comfortably at 28th. Who's second? Your own Delhi. Double Engine Gujarat and Haryana grab 4th and 5th as top-tier crime havens," the TMC said.
"In child marriage, Assam again takes the shameful pole position. And yet you dare lecture Bengal? Stop embarrassing yourself, stop the hypocrisy, and maybe fix the rotting mess in your own backyard before pointing fingers at a state that's outperforming your disasters on every key metric," the TMC countered.
