As military clashes between India and Pakistan intensify, the Chinese defense industry is benefiting. Following an aerial clash earlier this month, Chinese defense stocks surged, with the share price of Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group, which produces the J-10C fighter jet, rising the most since mid-October.
Bloomberg reported on the 7th (local time) that Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian Air Force aircraft and revealed that a Chinese-made J-10C fighter jet was deployed in the process. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar noted that the Air Force used the J-10C in response to India's attack, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also mentioned in a TV address that the fighter jets from both countries engaged in battle over border areas for nearly an hour.
The J-10C is a 4.5-generation fighter jet independently developed by China, and this conflict could be recorded as its first real-world deployment. Eric Zhu, a defense analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, evaluated, "Most domestic platforms in China lack combat experience," and said, "This deployment could provide a practical opportunity for expanding the channels of Chinese arms exports."
Pakistan's dependence on Chinese weapons is rapidly increasing. From 2019 to 2023, 82% of Pakistan's total arms imports were from China, a significant increase from 51% between 2009 and 2012.
Amid rising expectations for defense industry exports, the defense companies index in the Chinese stock market also rose by 1.6%, reaching its highest level in two weeks. In particular, as Chinese fighter jets, including the J-10C, have been deployed in actual combat, evaluations are emerging that the effectiveness and stability of these weapon systems have entered the verification stage in the global market.
Pakistan has traditionally maintained military cooperation with the United States but has recently strengthened its strategic military relationship with China. Experts believe that the direct use of Chinese weapons in this conflict will further solidify the military partnership between China and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, India operates Western weapons, including French-made Rafale fighter jets, and this clash may serve as a catalyst for the formation of an indirect competitive structure between the Chinese-Pakistani camp and Western weapons systems.