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Pahalgam attack and India Pakistan war - How China equipment helps Pakistan: As the Pahalgam terror attacks of late April in Kashmir led to talk of Indo-Pak war, one country's role is worth mentioning: China. While still keeping a smile similar to the permanent expression of its president Xi Jinping, China made overtures for peace, and mostly took a line similar to Islamabad's in the wake of the Kashmir terror attack. China may be smiling for two reasons: A secret hope that its decades of military cooperation worth billions of dollars with Pakistan would help its aim of checkmating India in the South Asian region; and an expectation that more import orders will follow from Pakistan, for whom Beijing is the largest military supplier.
After Operation Sindoor to avenge the Pahalgam attack was carried out by India on Wednesday (May 7), China is keeping mum on whether its jets were used by China. See its response in the story below:
But the truth is different: China uses Pakistan to counterbalance India and secure access to the Arabian Sea. Pakistan relies on China for economic and military support even as its ties with the US and other Western powers, who used to help it with military hardware for decades, have strained over the years.
Iron-clad friendship aimed at 'common enemy' India
Let us set aside the recent India-China peace overtures for the moment and think about the ground situation between China and Pakistan, particularly their iron-clad friendship.
The two countries share an 'all-weather strategic cooperative partnership,' which includes defence hardware, joint production of military equipment, joint drills, and extensive defence trade totalling billions of dollars in value.
Here is a detailed breakup:
Defence trade: China is Pakistan's largest supplier; Pakistan deals include China's largest to any country
China dominates Pakistan’s defence trade, accounting for 81 per cent of its major arms imports between 2020 and 2024. This is a significant growth from 72 per cent recorded between 2017 and 2021.
From the Chinese perspective, Pakistan is the largest recipient of its arms exports, accounting for 47 per cent between 2017 and 2021.
Much of the data is still hazy, but let us piece together what's available on public domain.
The total arms imports from China between 2019 and 2023 alone is valued at $5.28 billion. This, at the time, accounted for 63 per cent of Pakistan’s total arms imports, according to SIPRI Arms Transfers Database and Pakistani defence ministry reports.
The major deals reported over the years and their estimated total value are below:
Submarines, signed in 2015: $5 billion for eight Type-041 submarines
Frigates, signed in 2018: $1.4 billion for four Type-054A/P frigates
J-10CE Jets, signed in 2022: $1.5–2 billion for 36 aircraft
JF-17 Fighter Jet Programme: Estimated to cost $2–3 billion since 2007
Wing Loong II Drones, signed 2018: $200–300 million for 48 units
HQ-9 and PL-15 Systems: $650–900 million approx
Z-10ME Helicopters: $150–240 million (estimate)
China offers low-interest financing and flexible payment terms to Pakistan, which helps it continue to import despite its economic challenges.
Did China help Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme?
Like much else in the case of Chinese and Pakistani militaries, a lot of information is shrouded in secret. It was reported by the US intelligence agency CIA that China may have aided Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme in the 1970s and 1980s.
How China armed Pakistan to the teeth: From fighter jets to missiles to submarines
China is the main supplier of Pakistan's military hardware, which includes fighter jets, submarines, frigates, drones, and missile systems.
JF-17 Thunder fighter Jet
The JF-17 Thunder fighter jet is a flagship project of China-Pakistan military cooperation. The JF-17 is currently a mainstay of the Pakistan Air Force after the US virtually stopped sending its fighter jets to the country. There are reportedly more than 140 JF-17 jets in service as of 2023, at an estimated cost of $25–30 million per aircraft.
Also known as FC-1 Fierce Dragon, the jet is a lightweight, single-engine, multirole fighter aircraft co-developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group.
Production of the jets started in 2007, and deliveries are ongoing, with each delivery introducing improved varieties, including the Block-3 version, which started in 2022.
The total value of the JF-17 jet programme over the years is estimated to be $2–3 billion.
J-10CE Fighter Jets
The J-10CE jet, an export variant of China’s J-10C, is a 4.5-generation multirole fighter. Pakistan is reported to have acquired 36 J-10CE jets in 2022 to counterbalance India’s Rafale jets.
The total value of the jet programme is estimated at $1.5–2 billion, with each unit costing around $40–50 million.
The data is from Pakistan Air Force statements and SIPRI’s Trends in International Arms Transfers reports.
Type-054A/P Frigates
At least four Type-054A/P guided-missile frigates were delivered by China to the Pakistan Navy between 2020 and 2023. The deal was signed in 2018 and is valued at approximately $1.4 billion for the four frigates. The costs cover construction, technology transfer, and training as per Chinese state media reports and Pakistan Navy statements.
Type-041 Hangor-Class Submarines:
In 2015, Pakistan ordered eight Type-041 Yuan-class conventional submarines from China, four of which were to be built in China, and four to be made under license in Pakistan at Karachi Shipyard. Delivery schedule for these submarines run from 2022 to 2028, with the deal valued at $5 billion. This is also China’s largest single arms export deal with any country. Besides the actual cost of the submarines, the deal also includes training, infrastructure for local production, financed by China at a low interest rate.
Wing Loong II Drones
China and Pakistan agreed to co-produce 48 Wing Loong II unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) for the Pakistan Air Force in 2018. It is a deal valued at around $200–300 million, with each unit costing $4–6 million.
Z-10ME Attack Helicopters
Reports had said earlier that Pakistan was to receive the first batch of Z-10ME attack helicopters from China this year. They are designed for anti-tank and close air support roles. While exact data is hard to come by, similar helicopters in the market are estimated to cost $15–20 million per unit. The actual value of this deal, if Pakistan orders up to 12 helicopters, would come around $150–240 million.
HQ-9 Missile Defence Systems and PL-15 Missiles
China has reportedly sent to Pakistan the HQ-9 surface-to-air missile systems and PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles for JF-17 jets. The HQ-9 deal is estimated at $600–800 million for multiple systems.
The cost of PL-15 missiles is likely to be $50–100 million for a significant batch, according to SIPRI.
SH-15 Self-Propelled Artillery
Pakistan has received Chinese SH-15 155mm self-propelled howitzers for deployment near the Indian border. Going by the $2–3 million per unit cost for similar systems, the deal could be worth $50–100 million for a battalion-sized deployment.
Joint Military Drills: Key to 'iron-clad' military cooperation
China and Pakistan regularly hold joint military exercises. These drills, planned or already conducted, include areas like the restive Gilgit-Baltistan and Xinjiang. Here is a roundup:
The Shaheen (Eagle) Air Exercises are air force drills held annually or biennially since 2011. The focus is on air combat, joint tactics, and interoperability. These exercises involved the Chinese J-10, J-16, and Y-20 aircraft and Pakistani JF-17 and Mirage fighters. Each of these exercises likely cost $10–20 million, based on similar international drills.
Economic crossfire: How India-Pakistan tensions are reshaping South Asia’s financial landscape
Sea Guardian Naval Exercises in the Arabian Sea involved Chinese Type-054A frigates and Pakistani F-22P frigates, focusing on anti-submarine warfare and joint patrols. Such exercises typically cost $15–30 million.
How Pakistan protects Chinese interests in Belt and Road Initiative, particularly CPEC
Besides these, the two countries also held Shared Destiny Peacekeeping Exercise in Henan province in September 2021 and Warrior Counterterrorism Drills for eight times since 2019.
The counterterror drills involve China’s Western Theatre Command and Pakistani ground forces, with particular focus on protecting Chinese nationals and CPEC projects in Pakistan.
CPEC, or the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, is part of the Belt and Road Initiative, China's ambitious infrastructure development programme, which has military dimensions. Estimated to be valued at $60 billion, the project's security dimension involves protecting Chinese investments and personnel in the project areas.
In 2024, Pakistan approved $162 million for armed forces to protect CPEC projects. Apart from this, an estimated $218 million was set aside for Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a counterterrorism operation partly aimed at securing Chinese interests. The cost of this exercise is estimated to be $5–15 million, and is expected to be shared bilaterally.
If you have read through this story till here, you know why the next war between India and Pakistan, whenever it happens, will have a lot of 'made in China' aspects.