1 Border, 3 Adversaries: Army Says China Used India-Pak Conflict As ‘Live Lab,’ Gave Real-Time

The Indian Army said on Friday that there were not one but actually three adversaries during Operation Sindoor and that a significant 81 percent of Pakistan’s military equipment is sourced from China, with Chinese authorities reportedly using Pakistan as a “live lab” for testing military technologies.

Lieutenant General Rahul R Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Capability Development and Sustenance), made these statements during a recent briefing on the latest cross-border tensions where he provided a breakdown of the recent escalations with Pakistan.

Hostilities between India and Pakistan intensified after the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, which resulted in 26 fatalities. In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, which targeted nine terror-linked sites in both Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation led to the deaths of over 100 terrorists affiliated with groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

Lt Gen Singh, at the ‘New Age Military Technologies’ session organised by FICCI, highlighted the evolving nature of the China-Pakistan defence relationship, noting that it now extends beyond traditional arms transfers. He expressed concerns that China is leveraging its partnership with Pakistan to experiment with advanced military platforms and surveillance systems in active conflict environments.

“We had one border and two adversaries, actually three. Pakistan was the front face. We had China providing all possible support. And there was no surprise because, if you look at the statistics in the last five years, 81 per cent of the military hardware that Pakistan is getting is all Chinese. China is able to test its weapons against other weapons, so it’s like a live lab available to them,” he said.

China Used ‘Kill By Borrowed Knife’ Strategy

Lt Gen. Singh said Turkiye also played an important role in providing support to Pakistan. “We saw numerous drones coming and landing in the face of war, during the war, along with the individuals who were there,” he said.

He further highlighted that China used ancient military strategy of “36 stratagems” and killing the adversary with a “borrowed knife” against India during the Pakistan conflict.

“He (China) would rather use the neighbour to cause pain (to India) than getting involved in a mudslinging match on the northern border,” he said.

Emphasising the need for a robust air defence system, the Deputy COAS also revealed that Pakistan had “live updates” on India’s important vectors with China’s help.

“When DGMO-level talks were on, Pakistan actually was mentioning that we know that your such and such vector was primed and ready for action, and we would request you to perhaps pull it back. So he was getting live inputs from China. That is one place we really need to move fast and take appropriate action,” he said.

Lt Gen Singh provided detailed insights into the operation, stating: “There are a few lessons from Operation Sindoor. The strategic messaging by leadership was unambiguous. There is no scope of absorbing the pain the way we did a few years ago. The planning and selection of targets was based on a lot of data that was collected using technology and human intelligence.

So a total of 21 targets were actually identified, out of which nine targets we thought would be prudent to engage. It was only the final day or the final hour that the decision was taken that these nine targets would be engaged,” he said.

Lt Gen Singh said that while Pakistan led the confrontation, China provided “all possible support,” including real-time intelligence inputs.