Pakistan Claims Use of Chinese Jets in Operation Sindoor; Beijing Denies Involvement

Pakistan Claims Use of Chinese Jets in Operation Sindoor: Beijing, Pakistan's all-weather ally appears to distance itself during the recent escalation of border tensions between India and Pakistan, stating that it knew nothing about reports of the involvement of Chinese jets after India hit hit terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK, reported Reuters.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, when speaking to a regular media briefing in Beijing said they were "not familiar with the matter", when asked whether Chinese jets were involved in the conflict between India and Pakistan.

On Wednesday, China urged both India and Pakistan to "exercise maximum restraint from both sides in the larger interest of peace and stability" of the region and indicated it would play a "constructive" role in de-escalating the tensions by working with the international community.

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"We are concerned about the ongoing situation. India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbours. They’re both China’s neighbours as well," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a media briefing here, in response to India's air strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack.

"China opposes all forms of terrorism. We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint, and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation," he said.

On the air strikes, he said, “China finds India’s military operation early this morning regrettable.” When asked whether the international community responded to India’s claim that it targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Lin said the international community is keeping a close eye on what is happening between India and Pakistan.

“China is committed to promote talks for peace and keep the region peaceful and stable. We noted as well, both India and Pakistan said they do not want to see escalation in the situation.

Since the Pahalgam attack took place, Pakistan and China have made diplomatic contacts over the past few days."

“We hope India and Pakistan will remain calm, exercise restraint, work in the same direction, and handle differences properly through dialogue and consultation,” he said, reiterating that China stands ready to continue playing a constructive role in easing the current tensions.

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On Wednesday, Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong met with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar “to discuss the current tense situation between Pakistan and India.” During the meeting, Dar informed the Chinese ambassador about India's military strikes on targets in Pakistani territory in the morning hours and Pakistan's response. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry reported in a press release available on the Pakistani government website and the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan's website.

Jiang had already met with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and former President Asif Ali Zardari.

On April 27, Dar spoke with Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, over the phone to brief him on the situation.

During the call, Wang told Dar that China is paying close attention. He said that fighting terror is a global responsibility, and that China supports "an unbiased investigation" as quickly as possible, because the conflict is not in the fundamental interests of either India or Pakistan and does not contribute to regional peace and stability.

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