A thaw in relations between China and India is expected to be tested after Pakistan said it used a Chinese-made jet fighter to bring down Indian military aircraft, observers say.
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While India and Pakistan have reached a ceasefire over a conflict in which they are both claiming victory, the role of Beijing is in the spotlight after Islamabad officials claimed Pakistan used a Chinese-made J-10C aircraft to launch air-to-air missiles against Indian fighter jets on Wednesday.
Neither Beijing nor New Delhi has confirmed the use of Chinese weapons in last week’s four-day clash, but two US officials confirmed with Reuters on Thursday that at least two Indian fighter jets had been hit.
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Pakistan says India will ‘bear the repercussions’ as death toll from strikes climbs
Pakistan says India will ‘bear the repercussions’ as death toll from strikes climbs
This may cast a shadow over the detente between Beijing and Delhi. The two countries had slowly been moving to restore ties after reaching an agreement in October to end their bitter military stand-off at the Himalayan border.
“China’s role in the India-Pakistan conflict has come under [a] cloud for its ‘all-weather’ friendship with Islamabad,” said Srikanth Kondapalli, a professor in Chinese studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Lin Minwang, deputy director of the Centre for South Asian Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said India had long been suspicious of China’s strong ties with Pakistan.
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“It is likely that India would put the blame on China but overall, China is quite restrained this time,” Lin said.