The Chinese military on Thursday evaded a question on the performance of China-made weapons used by Pakistan in the recent conflict with India. Playing down the reports of India recovering an unexploded PL-15E, a radar-guided beyond-visual-range missile, Chinese Defence Ministry Spokesperson Sr Col. Zhang Xiaogang said, "The missile you mentioned is an export equipment and has been shown at defence exhibitions at home and abroad many times."
Chinese military dodges question
The spokesperson dodged questions about Indian officials’ assertions that China provided air defence and satellite support to Pakistan in the military conflict and that Chinese weapons systems performed below average, as he said that India and Pakistan are neighbours that cannot be moved away.
Zhang said, reiterating earlier assertions by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, "We hope that both sides can remain calm and restrained and avoid action further complicating the situation."
Zhang said in the first media briefing of the Chinese defence ministry after the May 7-10 military conflict between India and Pakistan that the Chinese side is willing to continue to play a constructive role in achieving a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire and preserving regional peace and stability.
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.
India targeted terror hideouts in Operation Sindoor
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.
(With inputs from AP)
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