China Confirms Technical Support to Pakistan During War with India

China has confirmed for the first time that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during its war with India last year. According to China's state broadcaster CCTV, Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, provided technical support to Pakistan during the four-day war in May last year.

Pakistan's Air Force operates a fleet of Chinese-made J-10CE jets, which are produced by an AVIC subsidiary. Zhang Heng stated that his team's goal was to ensure the jets could "truly perform at its full combat potential".

The confirmation comes after India maintained that Beijing had provided support to Islamabad during the conflict, with Lieutenant General Rahul R. Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff, stating in July 2025 that China's involvement extended beyond intelligence-sharing.

The immediate outlook is that the confirmation is likely to impact relations between India, China, and Pakistan, with further developments expected in the coming days. The Chinese government has not commented further on the matter, while India's government has yet to respond to the confirmation.