It is a missile war between India used western and Russian weapons and Pakistan’s Chinese arms

Both Chinese and US armament producers are closely looking at their respective success rate

- BY TN ASHOK

The escalating conflict between India and Pakistan is offering the world a glimpse of how Chinese military hardware is scaling up against western military hardware including from ground to air power as China has been the main supplier of military equipment to Pakistan whereas India outsources its military equipment from Russia and the West including USA, UK and France.

The world is getting a first real glimpse into how advanced Chinese military technology matches against proven Western hardware —and Chinese defense stocks are already surging.

Shares of China’s AVIC Chengdu Aircraft rose 40% this week, as Pakistan claimed it used AVIC-produced J-10C fighter jets to shoot down Indian combat aircraft - including the advanced French-made Rafale — during an aerial battle on Wednesday.

India has not responded to Pakistan’s claims or acknowledged any aircraft losses. When asked about the involvement of Chinese-made jets, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday he was not familiar with the situation.

Still, as Pakistan's primary arms supplier, China is likely watching intently to find out how its weapon systems have and potentially will perform in real combat. A rising military superpower, China hasn't fought a major war in more than four decades. But under leader Xi Jinping, it has raced to modernize its armed forces, pouring resources into developing sophisticated weaponry and cutting-edge technologies, media reports said.

China has also extended that modernization drive into Pakistan, long hailed by Beijing as its “ironclad brother.” Over the past five years, China has supplied 81% of Pakistan’s imported weapons, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).