China looms large over India and Pakistan's latest violence
Beijing may not have had troops on the ground, but as South Asia's two nuclear powers bared their teeth over Kashmir, China eyed an opportunity


India and Pakistan's escalating military attacks against one another in recent weeks, which brought the two antagonistic powers closer to major conflict than they had been in years, called attention to another stakeholder in the region: China. The global superpower has a keen interest in what happens in its national backyard.
Following last month's terrorist assault on tourists in the contested Kashmir region, long claimed by both India and Pakistan, the two nuclear-armed nations' escalating violence seemed to resolve with a shaky but stable weekend ceasefire. But China's shadow looms large over the events of this past week, and the hints at the possibility of future violence between South Asia's longtime adversaries.
A 'rich intelligence harvest' for China
Pakistan's claim that its forces used Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets to down Indian aircraft, "including the advanced French-made Rafale," may have provided the world's "first real glimpse" at how "advanced Chinese military technology performs against proven Western hardware," CNN said. While it hasn't fought a major war in nearly half a century, China has "raced to modernize its armed forces." As Pakistan's "primary arms supplier," Beijing is "likely watching intently" to gauge how well its weapons "have and potentially will perform in real combat."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
With China supplying the "vast majority" of Pakistan's military purchases, and India turning westward for its own arms, the result has "injected superpower politics into South Asia's longest-running and most intractable conflict," The New York Times said — particularly as China has "deepened its investment in its advocacy and patronage of Pakistan" in the face of warming Indian-American relations. The "most important global aspect" of this latest Indian-Pakistani violence is that for the first time, "Chinese military equipment has been tested against top-notch western equipment," said Sushant Singh, a lecturer at South Asian Studies at Yale University, at the Financial Times.
The latest violence between India and Pakistan also offers a "potentially rich intelligence harvest" for China, which has advanced enough capabilities to "deeply scrutinize Indian actions in real time" across border installations, naval fleets, "as well as from space," Reuters said. While both India and China have "taken steps to strengthen their military facilities and capabilities" along their shared border, China's host of orbital satellites in particular "packs an intelligence gathering punch" compared to India's capabilities.
'Peace, stability and development' in the region
While China and Pakistan enjoy close military and diplomatic ties, Beijing has conspicuously — and perhaps surprisingly — pushed for a measure of restraint during this latest spate of Kashmir violence. India and Pakistan are both "important countries in South Asia," said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun last month. The "harmonious coexistence" between the two rival nations is "vital to the peace, stability and development of the region.
Continued violence between India and Pakistan could threaten China's "very important equities in Pakistan, including sizeable levels of infrastructure investment and other assets," said regional analyst Michael Kugelman to the South China Morning Post. Moreover, Beijing's "recent efforts to improve relations with India may limit its response to diplomatic support for Pakistan," said The Diplomat.
At the same time, Pakistan's alleged use of Chinese-made fighter jets to successfully repel Indian planes is "essentially a powerful advertisement" for China's arms industry, said military observer Antony Wong Dong to CNN. "All countries potentially looking to buy fighter jets, as well as China’s regional rivals, will need to seriously reconsider: how should they face this new reality?"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Are free votes the best way to change British society?
Today's Big Question On 'conscience issues' like abortion and assisted dying, MPs are being left to make the most consequential social decisions without guidance
-
Rabies: is it a danger in the UK?
The Explainer The death of a British woman after a dog bite abroad has sparked widespread concern. What do we all need to know?
-
Quiz of The Week: 14 – 20 June
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
Superyachts are getting caught up in spy scandals
The Explainer China and Russia have both been accused of spying maneuvers on the open sea
-
US says Trump vetoed Israeli strike on Khamenei
Speed Read This comes as Israel and Iran pushed their conflict into its fourth day
-
After Israel's brazen Iran attack, what's next for the region and the world?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Following decades of saber-rattling, Israel's aerial assault on Iranian military targets has pushed the Middle East to the brink of all-out war
-
Israel strikes Iran, killing military and nuclear chiefs
Speed Read Israeli officials said the attack was a 'preemptive' strike on Iran's nuclear program
-
Why Israel is attacking Iran now
The Explainer A weakened Tehran and a distracted Donald Trump have led Benjamin Netanyahu to finally act against long-standing foe
-
Why are military experts so interested in Ukraine's drone attack?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The Zelenskyy government's massive surprise assault on Russian airfields was a decisive tactical victory — could it also be the start of a new era in autonomous warfare?
-
US, China agree to lower tariffs for 90 days
speed read US tariffs will fall to 30% from 145%, while China will cut its tax on US imports to 10% from 125%
-
Kashmir: India and Pakistan's conflict explained
The Explainer Tensions at boiling point in the disputed region after India launched retaliatory air strikes on its neighbour