China pushed coordinated fake-news drive to derail Rafale sales after operation sindoor: US report

In a sweeping new assessment submitted to the US Congress, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has accused Beijing of orchestrating a coordinated disinformation campaign to undermine the sale of French Rafale fighter jets in the immediate aftermath of the May India-Pakistan border conflict, known as Operation Sindoor.

According to the report, Chinese agencies deployed networks of fake social media accounts to circulate AI-generated and video-game imagery that purported to show “debris” from Rafale jets allegedly shot down by Pakistan using Chinese-supplied weaponry.

The objective, the commission states, was to tarnish the Rafale’s credibility and promote China’s own J-35 fighters in global markets.

Chinese embassies worldwide amplified these narratives, publicly celebrating the “successes” of Chinese systems during the May 7–10 hostilities. The commission cites French intelligence assessments that Beijing’s influence operations even persuaded Indonesia to pause an ongoing Rafale procurement.

The report situates the campaign within a broader geopolitical context, noting that the clash drew attention because Pakistan relied heavily on Chinese weapons and “reportedly leveraged Chinese intelligence” during the crisis.

India, it adds, claimed China provided “live inputs” on Indian military positions — allegations Pakistan denied and Beijing left unanswered.

Beijing also appeared to seize the moment to showcase and field-test its combat systems. The report notes that the confrontation marked the first real-world use of China’s HQ-9 air defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles and J-10 fighters.

By June 2025, China had offered Pakistan 40 J-35 fifth-generation jets, KJ-500 early-warning aircraft and ballistic missile defense systems.

Beyond the battlefield, the commission warns that the episode underscores how China uses industrial strategy and crisis opportunism to gain first-mover advantage in emerging technologies and defence markets. “President Xi has been explicit that he wants to make the world more dependent on China,” Commission Chair Reva Price notes in the report’s opening statement.

The report also touches on another flashpoint: the looming global diplomatic struggle over the 15th Dalai Lama’s succession. It predicts rival claimants — one recognised by the Tibetan Buddhist Gaden Phodrang Trust, another appointed by Beijing — with major international repercussions.

China has objected strongly to statements from India, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday greeting to the Dalai Lama, insisting that foreign governments avoid endorsing what it calls “anti-China separatist activities under the guise of religion.”

The commission’s findings, spanning technology, economic competition and security strategy, paint a picture of a China increasingly willing to fuse information warfare, diplomacy and defence exports to shape global outcomes — and to leverage regional crises for strategic advantage.