China has been accused of running a disinformation campaign around Rafale jets — using AI-generated photos that were passed off as visuals from Operation Sindoor. A recent report submitted to the US Congress cited French intelligence to reveal that the other country had also used fake social media accounts to propagate these visuals. The false narrative suggested that Pakistan had used Chinese weapons to take down the fighter jets. The US report also indicated that Beijing potentially supplied Islamabad with live intelligence during Operation Sindoor.
The report by the United States, China Economic and Security Review Commission, an official body under the US government’s legislative branch, stated that “only three jets flown by India’s military were reportedly downed, and all may not have been Rafales.” This contradicts Islamabad’s repeated claim that it shot down six Indian jets. India has acknowledged that there were some losses, but it has not shared details of which aircraft were lost because Operation Sindoor is still underway.
The disinformation campaign was allegedly launched to favour the Chinese J-35 over the French Rafale jet. The report also linked this campaign to Operation Sindoor (May 7-8), which was a retaliation following the Pahalgam terror attack that resulted in the deaths of 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national. The report claimed that the campaign leveraged the idea that “Pakistan’s military success over India in its four-day war showcased Chinese weaponry.”
Impact of the disinformation campaign
According to the reports, Beijing tried to convince Indonesia to halt its purchase of 42 Rafale jets, which are set to be delivered to Jakarta next year. The report further added that the Chinese Embassy officials attempted, “Furthering China’s inroads into other regional actors’ military procurements.”
China-Pakistan improving defence ties
The report mentioned the steady rise in China-Pakistan defence cooperation through late 2024 and early 2025. In November and December 2024, China and Pakistan held the three-week Warrior-VIII counterterrorism drills. Also in February 2025, China’s Navy participated in Pakistan’s multinational AMAN drills.
The report also noted that in June 2025, China reportedly offered to sell Pakistan 40 J-35 fifth-generation fighter jets, KJ-500 aircraft, and ballistic missile defence systems. Around the same time, Pakistan announced a 20% increase in its 2025–2026 defence budget, even though its overall budget was reduced. This raised its planned defence spending to $9 billion.
(With ANI Inputs)
