India said on Tuesday that reports of China supporting Pakistan during Operation Sindoor confirmed what was known earlier and it was up to nations deemed responsible to consider whether supporting attempts to protect terrorist infrastructure affected their position.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this in response to a question about reports in Chinese official media that admitted Beijing was providing technical support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, which India conducted in May 2025 to avenge the Pahalgam terror attacks.
“We have seen these reports confirming what was known earlier. Operation Sindoor was a precise, targeted and calibrated response to the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam, aimed at destroying the state-sponsored terrorist infrastructure operating from and at the behest of Pakistan,” Jaiswal told a press conference.
“It is up to nations that consider themselves responsible to consider whether supporting attempts to protect terrorist infrastructure affects their reputation and status,” he said.
What did China say?
According to the South China Morning Post, China has confirmed that it helped Pakistan by providing technical support on the ground during its war with India last year. According to the report, a Chinese-made fighter jet shot down at least one of the French-made Indian fighter jets during the conflict.
In an interview with Chinese state television CCTV, Zhang Heng, an engineer at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of China’s advanced fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicle designs, said it provided technical support to Pakistan during the four-day war last May.
Zhang said: “At the support base, we often heard the roar of fighter jets taking off and the constant wail of air raid sirens. In late May, the temperature was close to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). It was a real test for us, both mentally and physically.”
He added that what drove his team was “the desire to do an even better job with field support” and to ensure their equipment was “really operating at full combat potential.”
India is ready to quell any cross-border mishap: Navy chief Swaminathan appointed
Indian Navy Chief-designate Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan said the country has been a victim of terrorism for several years and said it remains ready to face and suppress any “mishaps” from across the border, PTI reported.
Operation Sindoor specifically targeted terrorists and terrorist camps involved in the very nefarious Pahalgam incident in 2025, said Swaminathan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command.
The country cannot accept terrorist activities in the country, especially when they come from foreign soil, he said at an event organized by think tank Bramha Research Foundation in Mumbai on Monday.
“Anyone who is sensible in the world knows that calamity does not come anywhere and never from India. India has always responded. Calamity comes from across the borders. People can say what they want, but as far as we are concerned, India will remain ready and if any calamity comes from this side, we are indeed ready to counter it,” Swaminathan said.
