Soon after the military conflict between India and Pakistan in May, China launched a disinformation campaign using fake social media accounts as part of its 'Gray Zone' activities, a recent report claimed.
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a US Congress-created advisory body, in its annual report also noted that Beijing “opportunistically” leveraged the conflict to advertise the sophistication of its weapons.
“China initiated a disinformation campaign to hinder sales of French Rafale aircraft in favour of its own J-35s, using fake social media accounts to propagate AI images of supposed 'debris' from the planes that China’s weaponry destroyed,” the report said.
India launched Operation Sindoor, a military campaign against the terrorist hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, in May in retaliation to the Pahalgam massacre.
The attack sparked a brief but intense military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours, with Pakistan launching a drone strike on India. The Indian forces hit back, inflicting heavy damage to several military installations and airbases inside Pakistan.
Pakistan claimed that it shot down five Indian jets, including Dassault Aviation-made Rafales, though India has never confirmed it. India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan has admitted that a few of its fighter jets were downed, but the forces have categorically denied having lost Rafales during the conflict.
In August, Indian Air Force Chief A.P. Singh revealed that the Indian forces had destroyed five Pakistani fighter jets and one large airborne surveillance aircraft during Operation Sindoor.
India-China border issue
The report by the US advisory body stated that there was an “asymmetry” between India and China regarding the resolution of the border issue.
“China leverages high-level, well-publicised dialogues to reach partial resolutions—hoping to open the door for bilateral cooperation on trade and other areas by compartmentalising the border issue without sacrificing its core interests, while India wants a sustainable solution to the border issues," it said.
The report further noted that the Indian government has increasingly recognised the seriousness of the threat posed by China at the border in recent years.
