'We knew already': India's 'reputation' jab at China for helping Pakistan during Operation Sindoor

NEW DELHI: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday said China should reflect on whether its attempts to shield Pakistan’s terrorist infrastructure impact its “reputation and standing.”MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal made the remarks during a weekly briefing in New Delhi, where he was asked about China’s first admission that it had provided on-ground support to Pakistan during India’s Operation Sindoor in May 2025.Also Read | Operation Sindoor: China admits it provided support to Pakistan“We have seen reports that corroborate what was known earlier. It is for nations that consider themselves responsible to reflect on whether supporting attempts to protect terrorist infrastructure affects their reputation and standing,” Jaiswal said.He described Operation Sindoor as a “precise and calibrated” response to the April 22 terror attack last year in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.“Operation Sindoor was a precise, targeted, and calibrated response to the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam aimed at destroying state-sponsored terrorist infrastructure operating out of Pakistan and at its behest,” the MEA spokesperson added.On the intervening night of May 6 and 7, 2025, the Indian armed forces struck nine terror locations in Pakistan, killing over 100 terrorists. The conflict ended on May 10 after Islamabad requested a ceasefire with New Delhi.While India accepted the request, the government has repeatedly maintained that Operation Sindoor has only been “paused.”On July 4, lieutenant general Rahul Singh first revealed Beijing’s active role during the conflict.“When the DGMO-level talks were going on, Pakistan was getting live inputs on our deployment from China. So that is one place where we really need to move fast and take appropriate action,” Lieutenant General Singh said at a FICCI event.Also Read | Operation Sindoor: China shared live data on India assets with Pak & Turkey provided drones, says Army deputy chiefHe also disclosed that Türkiye was involved in the conflict, having supplied Bayraktar drones to Pakistan.Last week, South China Morning Post reported that Chinese state broadcaster CCTV had aired interviews with engineers from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of the country’s advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.One of the engineers, Zhang Heng, spoke about working alongside Pakistani personnel during the four-day confrontation.“At the support base, we constantly heard fighter jets roaring into the sky and air-raid sirens blaring,” Zhang was quoted as saying. “By late morning, temperatures were nearing 50 degrees Celsius. It was physically exhausting and mentally intense,” he added.