As AP insiders learned, official Beijing deployed its embassies to spread doubts about the effectiveness of French Rafale fighters after they took part in combat operations in India and Pakistan in May.
Points of attention
- The air battles between India and Pakistan in May showcased the challenges faced by countries in countering each other's military equipment, including Chinese and French-made weaponry.
- The ongoing dispute underscores the complexities of international arms sales and the strategic interests at play between major global powers.
What is known about the new conflict between Beijing and Paris?
According to media reports, another serious challenge was described by French military and intelligence officials in a new report.
The French authorities cannot ignore the fact that military attaches in Chinese embassies have launched a massive campaign to undermine Rafale sales.
They are currently doing everything they can to convince countries that have already ordered French fighters not to buy any more.
What is important to understand is that the four days of fighting between India and Pakistan in May were the most serious confrontation in recent years between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
It was then that air battles began, involving dozens of aircraft from both sides.
Since then, military officials and researchers have been trying to figure out how Pakistan's Chinese military equipment, including warplanes and air-to-air missiles, countered the weapons India used in air strikes on targets, including French-made Rafale fighter jets.
