China’s dubious involvement in disseminating disinformation during India’s “Operation Sindoor” has recently come to light. The country launched a disinformation drive to prevent the sale of French Rafale aircraft in favour of its own J-35s during the Operation Sindoor in May following the Pahalgam terror attack. These actions were an element of its Grey Zone tactics (unconventional warfare methods).

China spread AI photos of purported “debris” from the planes that its weapons allegedly destroyed with the help of phoney social media accounts. The significant disclosure was made in US (United States)-China Economic and Security Review Commission report which was presented in the US Congress on 19th November.

A US report says after May India Pakistan conflict China ‘initiated a disinformation campaign’ to hinder sales of French Rafale aircraft in favor of its own J-35s, using ‘fake social media accounts to propagate AI images of supposed “debris” from the planes’ pic.twitter.com/APQ9ZCa8zR

— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) November 19, 2025

According to the commission, China’s involvement in the 7th-10th May armed confrontation between India and Pakistan “drew global attention as Pakistan’s military relied upon Chinese weaponry and reportedly leveraged Chinese intelligence.”

Beijing was able to “test and advertise the sophistication of its weapons” due to Pakistan’s usage of Chinese technology as it supplied over 82% of Pakistan’s weaponry purchases between 2019 and 2023, making it the Islamic Republic’s major defence supplier.

China tried to exhibit effectiveness of its weaponry to attract more buyers

The report highlighted that the country attempted to increase sales of its weapons by showcasing the effectiveness of its systems during the dispute between the two neighbours. Likewise, the East Asian nation “opportunistically leveraged” the situation to exhibit its own weaponry.

The study stated, “While characterisation of this conflict as a proxy war may overstate China’s role as an instigator, Beijing opportunistically leveraged the conflict to test and advertise the sophistication of its weapons, useful in the contexts of its ongoing border tensions with India and its expanding defence industry goals.”

“This clash was the first time China’s modern weapons systems, including the HQ-9 air defense system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles and J-10 fighter aircraft were used in active combat, serving as a real-world field experiment,” it added. Chinese diplomats celebrated the “successes” of their systems in the fight between India and Pakistan in the weeks following the same, hoping to increase arms sales.

“The Indian Army claimed China helped Pakistan with live inputs on Indian military positions throughout the crisis and effectively used the conflict as a testing ground for its own military capabilities. Pakistan denied these allegations and China neither confirmed nor denied its degree of involvement,” the document noted.

The commission further insisted that “only three jets flown by India’s military were reportedly downed and all may not have been Rafales.” Interestingly, no proof has been provided to validate this thus far. There are merely manipulated images and doctored photographs, yet no authentic evidence exists to substantiate the assertion.

Meanwhile, China even persuaded Indonesia to halt a Rafale deal that was already underway, “furthering inroads into military procurements” of other “regional actors.” The Indonesian government announced last month that it is considering to buy Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets to add to its expanding fleet of military aircraft, even though the Rafale jet deliveries to Jakarta are scheduled to continue.

Increasing military ties between China-Pakistan

The report also mentioned, “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. Islamabad declared a 20% increase  in its defence expenditure for 2025-2026.

“In November and December 2024, China and Pakistan held the three-week Warrior-VIII counterterrorism drills, and in February 2025, China’s navy participated in Pakistan’s multinational AMAN drills,” the study informed underscoring the growing military collaboration between the two sides. India perceived this as “direct security threats” to its regional positions.

The yearly analysis provides the US Congress with a bipartisan perspective on China policy. The current report made 28 suggestions in the areas of technology, trade and economy alongside national security as well examined how China has positioned itself through industrial strategy to have a competitive edge in emerging technologies.

The opening statement by the commission’s Chair Reva Price outlined, “President Xi (Jinping) has also been explicit that he wants to make the world more dependent on China. We can expect that China will continue massive, distortionary policy support for strategic sectors.”

The report was released months after French intelligence and military officials asserted that the dragon was engaged in a “disinformation” operation against its Rafale aircraft. According to a French intelligence assessment cited by the Associated Press, defence attachés at Chinese embassies spearheaded the effort to sabotage Rafale sales.

Congress, its leaders cast aspersions on Rafale during “Operation Sindoor”

The report exposed the role of Chinese propaganda to alter the narrative in its favor. However, it is important to mention that Congress, along with its leaders and members of its ecosystem were also busy criticising the government and doubting the military actions of the nation’s forces amid “Operation Sindoor.”

Rahul Gandhi who was at the forefront of this attack even distorted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks to give strength to the enemy’s agenda during this critical period. “Informing Pakistan at the start of our attack was a crime. EAM has publicly admitted that GOI (Government of India) did it. Who authorised it,” he questioned in addition to positing the union minister’s video, on 17th May.

The clip was already deemed fraudulent by the Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) fact-check. The centre even exposed a number of fake visuals that have appeared on social media, at the time. Furthermore, India previously clarified that “all strikes were carried out without any loss of Indian assets, highlighting the efficiency of our surveillance, planning, and delivery systems.”

Notably, Jaishankar actually expressed, “At the start of the operation, we had sent a message to Pakistan saying we are striking at terrorist infrastructure. We are not striking at the military. So, the military has an option of standing out, and not interfere at this process. They chose not to take this good advice.”

“The EAM had stated that we had warned Pakistan at the start, which is the early phase after Operation Sindoor’s commencement. This is being falsely represented as before the operation. This utter misrepresentation of facts is being called out,” the ministry outlined.

He clearly did not mention that Pakistan was informed beforehand and the sequence of events confirmed by the PIB and Indian defence officials suggested that the operation had already ended by the time the message reached the Islamabad.

However, the statement was twisted by the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha who opted to continue promoting the Pakistani and Chinese lies concerning the downing of Rafale jets. He even continued to advance the enemy’s propaganda and relentlessly launched these unfounded allegations.

“EAM Jaishankar’s silence isn’t just telling, it’s damning. So I’ll ask again: How many Indian aircraft did we lose because Pakistan knew? This wasn’t a lapse. It was a crime and the nation deserves the truth,” the Gandhi scion shamelessly reiterated despite the striking absence of evidence to support his claims. Pakistan expectedly used his comments to declare victory and portray “Operation Sindoor” as a defeat for India.

Congress officials circulate lies about the destruction of Indian jets

Other Congress leaders also mirrored the outrageous sentiments of their chief leader. Its national spokesperson Pawan Khera described Jaishankar’s statement as “mukhbiri (acting as an informant).” He lashed out, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will have to answer why this was done. The government should answer how many aircraft did India lose? What losses did the country suffer? How many terrorists escaped.”

Likewise, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy asked PM Modi how many Rafale fighter jets were lost at the hands of Pakistan. He voiced, “The soldiers of this (Secunderabad) Cantonment participated in the war. The war planes being manufactured in Telangana upheld respect for our country.”

“Rafale aircraft brought by Narendra Modi were shot down by Pakistan. There is no discussion on how many Rafales were shot down during the recent war. Narendra Modi should answer and give us the account,” Reddy demanded, triggering a massive row.

Congress Lok Sabha MP Manickam Tagore echoed the same falsehoods and insisted that ministers in parliamentary democracies have an obligation to address national security issues invoked by the opposition.

He charged, “Yet, the EAM has remained silent. This silence raises grave questions. Why was Pakistan informed in advance? Who authorised this breach of operational secrecy? What consequences did our armed forces face because of it?”

Another Congress parliamentarian, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring announced that the tail of a crashed Rafale jet was discovered at the Bhisiana Airforce station and claimed to possess images of the same.

“RAFALE CRASHED. Its tail was found in Bhisiana Airforce station. I’ve brought the pictures.
~ Air Marshal Bharti called it Unidentified. You FOOLED the country”🤡

Congress MP & Punjab unit Chief. You still think these are not Calibrated Scripts handed by the Gandhi family?😳 pic.twitter.com/C6PiLVjmn2

— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) July 29, 2025

The centre and even fact-checking agencies attempted to warn about this Pakistani and Chinese propaganda, but the country’s opposition and its several leaders persistently targeted its own government as well as defence forces. Now, the truth has been laid bare by the US Commission.

Congress supporters, Pakistan, Turkey social media accounts promoted bogus stories of shooting down Rafale aircrafts

Congress advocates also recited the same deceptions that were promoted by China, Pakistan along with their allies and were intensified by Rahul Gandhi alongside other opposition leaders. There was no difference between the remarks made by Congress, its ecosystem and the social media accounts of adversary nations in relation to the taking down of Indian jets, particularly the Rafale.

While the grand old party attempted to leverage this to undermine the central government and the security forces, the latter celebrated the fabrication to paint India in a weak light. A supporter of Congress wrote that $8.1 billion was wasted on inferior French equipment which was destroyed by Pakistan and added, “Now, even Indonesia has ditched them.”

Rafale SCAM:

$8.1B blown on French junk -one Smoked Downed in Op Sindoor, by China’s J-10s Flown by Pakistan.

Now, even Indonesia has Ditched Them. pic.twitter.com/Q4rZRPTHDt

— Muralidharan Gopal (@muralitwit) May 21, 2025

“Calsh Report” uploaded some unverified images and videos from Aklian Kalan village, close to Bhatinda Air Force Station, alleging that a French MICA missile which equips Rafale remained attached to its launcher proving that Pakistan shot down the jet.

BIG: It appears India indeed lost a Rafale fighter jet tonight, shot down by Pakistan.

Locals in Aklian Kalan village, Punjab, filmed parts of a French MICA missile still attached to its launcher— just 20 km from Bathinda AFS, home to No. 17 Rafale & No. 380 NETRA squadrons. pic.twitter.com/ylTA6KGW3l

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 7, 2025

A Pakistani account similarly published unauthenticated visuals and announced the destruction of a Rafale jet.

M-88 engine of Rafale that was shot down by PAF J-10CE using PL-15 very long range BVR missile. pic.twitter.com/TyckCgEZTY

— Pakistan Strategic Prism (@StrategicPrism1) May 7, 2025

All handles propagated the same rhetoric without even a shred of evidence to support it. Numerous posts similar to these appeared on social media either from Pakistan and Turkey, rejoicing the fictitious victory or Congress backers who were denouncing Rafale and the government for their alleged shortcomings. The US commission has now disclosed that the source of this propaganda had been China.

How Congress, other parties vehemently fought against Rafale purchase

India purchased 36 Rafale fighter fighters from France in 2020 under a government-to-government deal and these aircraft played a crucial part in “Operation Sindoor.” Congress took a prominent stance against the move after former French President Francois Hollande alleged that Dassault Aviation was supposedly told by the Modi administration to work with Reliance Defence of India to adhere to its “offset policy.” The clause in Delhi’s defence procurement standards compels foreign corporations to contribute at least 30% of a deal’s value back in India.

PM Modi was accused by the Congress party of favouring an Indian enterprise and even practicing crony capitalism by endorsing Anil Ambani’s business. However, the BJP continuously denied these allegations, maintaining that the government signed the deal to meet the Indian Air Force’s combat requirements and had no involvement in choosing the French manufacturer’s local partner.

During the 2019 general elections, Rahul Gandhi even referred to the Rafale acquisition as a scam as part of the party’s enormous electoral campaign against the Modi government for moving forward with the transaction. The Supreme Court even chastised him for using its name improperly and spreading lies just to discredit PM Modi.

Afterward the Rae Bareli MP came up with the derogatory “chowkidar chor hai,” and former union minister Meenakshi Lekhi launched a contempt case against him for misattributing the phrase to the apex court’s initial decision in the Rafale case. He had apologised for misquoting the decision during the previous hearing. The court, however, had requested a formal apology because it was not convinced by his earlier affidavit.

On 14th December 2018, the Supreme Court pronounced that there were no irregularities in the price, decision-making process or off-set partner selection after the opposition and its supporters submitted an appeal for a court-monitored inquiry. The court even stressed that it had limited authority under Article 32 to evaluate defence contracts as it rejected the review applications on 14th November 2019.

According to documents that the Congress argued bolstered its charges of corruption against PM Modi and centre in 2021, large quantities of money were paid to middlemen in the transaction. However, BJP Lok Sabha member Sambit Patra had refuted, “The way Rahul Gandhi is behaving, it will not be an exaggeration to say that he is being used as a pawn by competing companies. He has been lying right from the beginning on the issue. Probably, he is acting as an agent or some member of Gandhi family has been for a competing company.”

MoU between China and Congress

Congress not only opposed the acquisition of Rafale jets but even reinforced Chinese claims, particularly during the standoff between the two nations. At that time, Rahul Gandhi chose to function as a mouthpiece for China and disparaged the government. The cause of this affection originated from the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Congress party and the Communist Party of China (CPC) on 7th August 2008.

They struck the agreement in Beijing during UPA1 in 2008 for high-level information sharing and collaboration. It was signed by Rahul Gandhi, the general secretary of the Congress at the time, and Xi Jinping, then vice president of China and a standing committee member of the CPC’s politburo. Sonia Gandhi was also in attendance there. Additionally, the MoU also gave the duo “opportunity to consult each other on important bilateral, regional and international developments” under the same.

Sonia and her son had a lengthy discussion with Xi and other senior Chinese leaders prior to the signing ceremony to explore topics of shared interest. Sonia, Rahul, Priyanka and Robert Vadra with their two kids travelled to Beijing in 2008 to witness the inauguration of the Olympic Games. Sonia and Rahul had also led a Congress party team to China a year prior.

The strong ties between the Chinese leadership and the Congress party, specifically Rahul Gandhi, were brought to light during the Doklam standoff as well when he was secretly engaging with Chinese officials. Policymakers were suspicious of his intentions after he was spotted meeting with Chinese officials twice in 2017 and 2018.

His initial meeting was with Ambassador Luo Zhaohui, which Congress refuted. However, the party faced considerable embarrassment as China’s embassy verified that the pair had indeed met. Rahul Gandhi had his second meeting with a few Chinese ministers during his September 2018 visit to Kailash Mansarovar. At first, the meeting was likewise kept under wraps but he eventually disclosed the truth.

Chinese funds in Rajiv Gandhi Foundation

The connection between Congress and China runs even deeper as the latter donated Rs 10 lakh to the controversial “Rajiv Gandhi Foundation” in 2006 to provide “financial assistance” to its charitable activities. However, the flow of funds did not cease there, as additional contributions were made to the foundation, bringing the total amount to over Rs 1 crore within three years.

Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are the trustees of the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation which is chaired by Sonia Gandhi.

The foundation hosted two seminars on Chinese interests in 2008 and 2009 after receiving the money and even started two “projects.” It even investigated the viability of a free trade agreement between China and India between 2009 and 2010. The study essentially advocated for unrestricted economic collaboration between China and India.

The report simply served to highlight the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation’s persistent attempts to weaken India’s stand regarding China and demonstrate it as a superior power which could only be advantageous to India. To summarise, the foundation was involved in obtaining funds from the Chinese government from 2005 to at least 2008 and then carried out research that would have damaged India’s position.

Rahul Gandhi extols China

Considering the strong relationship between the two sides, Rahul Gandhi has seized every opportunity to laud China. His actions as a Chinese propagandist aimed at attacking the central government and casting doubts on the capabilities of the security forces are well documented. Furthermore, he did not hesitate to praise China on foreign platforms either.

“I don’t think India sees itself as leading the world. We are a large country, and we believe in partnerships. We are not arrogant enough to believe that we should lead the world. The idea that India should lead the world—India doesn’t view itself like this; perhaps China thinks of itself this way,” Rahul declared during his speech at EIA University in Colombia in October.

He claimed that India finds it difficult to control manufacturing while praising China’s capacity to execute the same in a non-democratic system. He even asserted that China dominates manufacturing figures and added that it is outperforming the US in the fight to manage the world’s energy transformation.

Rahul insisted that unemployment is a problem in the US, India and other Western countries but China is not dealing with this problem because it controls the majority of global production, while interacting students at the University of Texas in Dallas last year.

Speaking at a press conference in Brussels in 2023, he likewise commended China for its industrial prowess while asserting that the Indian government lacks a “alternative vision” for domestic industry.

“I’ve been saying in all my meetings that it is pretty clear that China is proposing a particular view of the planet, which is the Belt and Road Initiative. One of the reasons why they are able to do it is because they have become a center of global production. I don’t see an alternative vision coming from our side. What the Chinese have shown that it is possible to do production in a coercive environment. Can we provide an alternative vision by doing production with a democratic vision. A competent vision,” Rahul stated.

Rahul even promoted China’s growing influence in the Indian subcontinent and asserted that the country wanted the surrounding nations to succeed as well as fiercely defended the dragon, at a Cambridge University event in 2022. He lauded China’s Belt and Road Initiative and labeled the debt traps it perpetuates, targeting the weaker economies as “prosperity,” while asserting that India-US relations should adopt similar policies.

Conclusion

Rahul and his Congress have consistently supported China and has a clear history of close relations with the country. They have even continued to spread the same falsehoods peddled about Rafale during and even after “Operation Sindoor.” Now, the aforementioned report has busted China’s propaganda which India’s main opposition party blatantly promoted and raised questions not only about its own government but also the security forces, that too without any evidence.

It’s interesting how Rahul and Congress find themselves acting as puppets of China, particularly when India must present a united front against its enemies, especially during critical moments.