India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Tuesday that reports suggesting Chinese personnel provided “on-site” technical support to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor corroborated what New Delhi already knew.
“We have seen reports that corroborate what was known earlier,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7, 2025, in response to the Pahalgam attack and continued until a ceasefire was announced on May 10.
Jaiswal said the operation was a “precise, targeted and calibrated response” aimed at destroying what he described as state-sponsored terrorist infrastructure operating out of Pakistan.
“It is for nations that consider themselves responsible to reflect on whether supporting or protecting terrorist infrastructure affects their reputation and standing,” he said.
The remarks came days after Chinese state broadcaster CCTV aired an interview with Zhang Heng, an engineer with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute.
In the interview, Zhang said Chinese personnel were driven by the “desire to do an even better job with on-site support” and to ensure that their equipment could “truly perform at its full combat potential.”
Pakistan operates Chinese-made J-10CE fighter jets produced by a subsidiary of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China.
According to the report, Zhang described working at a support base where he regularly heard fighter jets taking off and air-raid sirens during the conflict.
The comments are the first public confirmation by a Chinese engineer that Chinese personnel were present in Pakistan and provided technical assistance during last year’s India-Pakistan military confrontation.
