A report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission has claimed that China led a “disinformation campaign” against French Rafale jets, using “fake” social media accounts to promote its own J-35s.
According to the report, China led the drive after the military conflict between India and Pakistan ended in May. “Following the May 2025 India-Pakistan border crisis, 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 US report read.
The report comes months after French military and intelligence claimed that the country was fighting a ‘disinformation’ campaign against its Rafale jets.
A military conflict had ensued after Pakistan targeted Army bases in India in an unprovoked drone and missile attack on Indian cities. The Associated Press had reported, citing a French intelligence assessment, that defence attachés in Chinese embassies led the drive to undermine Rafale sales.
China tried to boost weapon sales
In days following the India-Pakistan conflict, China reportedly tried to bolster the sales of its weaponry by flaunting the successes of its systems during the military clash between the border nations.
The US report said that China used “fake social media accounts to propagate AI and video game images of supposed debris from the planes China’s weaponry destroyed”. The report also says that China “opportunistically leveraged” the India-Pak conflict to put its own weapons on display.
Despite a Rafale deal already under progress, China convinced Indonesia to pause the sale, “furthering inroads into other regional actors’ military procurements”, the report states.
‘Counterterrorism’ Pak-China drills before May
Months before the conflict between India and Pakistan, China and Pakistan took part in three-week Warrior-VIII counterterrorism drills, the US report said.
The defence cooperation between the two countries came in November and December 2024, and the Chinese Navy took part in Pakistan’s multinational AMAN drills in February 2025.
“China reportedly offered to sell 40 J-35 fifth-generation fighter jets, KJ-500 aircraft, and ballistic missile defense systems to Pakistan in June 2025,” the report said, further adding that Pakistan announced a 20% increase in its 2025–2026 defence budget the same month.
BJP reacts to US report
The BJP also reacted to the US report claiming that China tried to sabotage Rafale jet sales in favour of its own J-35s. Without naming anyone, BJP leader Amit Malviya wondered who “amplified this Chinese narrative”.
“Who kept demanding “numbers” on jets lost—even after the Indian Air Force clearly stated that all its assets were intact, and that sharing operational details mid-conflict would jeopardize national security?” Malviya said in a tweet.
On May 7, India launched Operation Sindoor to avenge the killings of 26 civilians in the Pahalgam terror attack, and had destroyed terror infrastructure in Pakistan and POK, killing over 100 terrorists.
