US Report: China Used Conflict to Showcase Weapons

China “took advantage” of the India-Pakistan conflict in May to test and show
its defence technology, a new report by a bipartisan US commission said.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, in its annual report on
Tuesday, said that China used the four-day conflict to display how advanced its
weapons are. The report said this helped China both in its border tensions with
India and in its goal to grow its defence industry.

The report said that this was the first time China’s modern weapons—like the HQ-9
air defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and J-10 fighter jets—were used
in real fighting. China was able to treat the conflict like a real-world test
of its weapons.

The report also said that in June, China offered to sell Pakistan 40 J-35
advanced fighter jets, KJ-500 planes, and missile defence systems

After the conflict, Chinese embassies praised the “success” of these weapons,
which the report says was part of an effort to increase China’s arms sales.