Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Pakistan’s skies turned into China’s unofficial weapons lab, as Beijing’s latest jets, missiles, and defense systems faced their baptism by fire against India’s cutting-edge Rafales and Israeli drones.
For the first time, Chinese weapons clashed directly with Western platforms, giving Beijing priceless data on how its arsenal stacks up against NATO-grade jets, drones, and defense systems.
Representative pic
With China supplying over 80% of Pakistan’s arms, Islamabad has become Beijing’s de facto weapons testing proxy, deploying J-10Cs, HQ-9s, and PL-15 missiles in live combat scenarios.
China’s state media trumpeted unverified claims of Rafale kills by Chinese-origin weapons, using the conflict to polish its defense industry’s global image and challenge Western tech supremacy.
Chinese defense firms like AVIC Chengdu saw share prices rocket 40% amid the battlefield buzz, as investors bet big on the combat-proven credibility of Beijing’s exported weaponry.
Pakistan’s use of Chinese weapons in a high-stakes conflict is a slick advertisement for Beijing’s arms industry, potentially opening new markets and eroding the dominance of Russian and Western sellers.
China’s military tech has rewired Pakistan’s combat playbook, reducing its dependency on Western arms and tilting South Asia’s military balance in Beijing’s favor.
Beyond drills, real war offered China priceless feedback on its weapons’ strengths and flaws—intel no simulation or joint exercise could ever match—feeding directly into future designs and tactics.
Despite official denials, Beijing is closely eyeing every missile fired and jet downed—turning Pakistan’s border skirmish into a silent classroom for China’s next-gen military ambitions.
Representative pic