In a major revelation, China has for the first time confirmed that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory strike on terror hideouts in Pakistan and POK. The disclosure comes as India marks the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor. The acknowledgement came from an engineer who himself assisted Pakistan, and made the remarks in an interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.
In an interview aired on CCTV on Thursday, Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, revealed the extent of China-Pakistan cooperation during the 2025 Operation Sindoor. The Chinese institute in Chengdu plays a central role in developing China’s advanced fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Zhang said he was part of a team that delivered technical assistance to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the four-day mini war that was fought in May 2025.
“At the support base, we frequently heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air-raid sirens. By late morning, in May, the temperature was already approaching 50 degrees Celsius. It was a real ordeal for us, both mentally and physically,” Zhang told CCTV. A report of the interview was published in Hong Kong-based daily, South China Morning Post (SCMP).
Zhang said his team was driven by the “desire to do an even better job with on-site support” and the goal of ensuring their equipment could “truly perform at its full combat potential”.
Zhang was talking about the J-10CE fighter jet, manufactured by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG).
“That wasn’t just a recognition of the J10CE; it was also a testament to the deep bond we formed through working side by side, day in and day out,” he added.
This comes as little surprise, given China’s long-standing close military partnership with Pakistan and its use of the country as a testing ground for weapons and systems. Senior defence officials have previously stated that Beijing supported Pakistan not only with military hardware, but also through intelligence sharing and satellite imagery.
Another engineer from the same institute, Xu Da, who also provided on-site support, likened the J-10CE fighter to a “child”, reported SCMP.
“We nurtured it, cared for it, and finally handed it over to the user. And now, it was facing a major test,” Xu was quoted as saying by the SCMP.
The engineers’ remarks are the first official acknowledgement that Chinese technical personnel were directly involved in supporting Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
Notably, the PAF uses the Chinese-made J-10CE, the export version of the advanced J-10C 4.5-generation fighter jet. Produced by an AVIC subsidiary, the J-10CE features an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and is compatible with sophisticated Chinese air-to-air missiles, including the PL-15.
The PL-15 was also used by Pakistan in the Operation Sindoor against India.
Pakistan is the only known operator of the J-10C variant outside China.
The disclosure publicly reinforces the depth of the China-Pakistan military nexus. Beijing has long-armed and supported Pakistan militarily, but the presence of Chinese engineers providing on-site assistance during an active conflict marks a deeper level of operational integration.
For India, it underlines that any future confrontation with Pakistan might increasingly involve Chinese systems, intelligence support and technical coordination working in tandem. It also shows how Pakistan has effectively become a real-world testing ground for Chinese military technology under combat conditions.
Pakistan, which relies heavily on Chinese defence equipment, has imported over 80% of its military equipment from China in the last five years, data from SIPRI suggests.
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