China denies sending planeloads of arms to Pakistan, silent on PL-15 missiles

China’s People's Liberation Army Air Force has rejected claims that its Xi'an Y-20 military transport aircraft had carried arms supplies to Pakistan. According to news agency PTI, the Chinese military has also warned of taking legal action against those who have made such claims.

The statement by the Chinese military came on Monday amid several reports doing the rounds that Beijing had supplied ‘relief material’ to Islamabad. In a statement on its official website, the defence ministry of China rejected such reports. Posting several screenshots, the statement termed all the reportage as ‘false’ and ‘rumour.’ The defence ministry statement also added that those spready ‘rumours’ linked to military will be held legally responsible for their act.

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While the PLA has denied Xi'an Y-20 military transport aircraft reports, it remains silent on India’s statement regarding Pakistan Army using PL-15 air-to-air missiles. At a press conference held in New Delhi on Monday, top officials of the Indian armed forces had shown the remnants of the Chinese-origin missile that was neutralised in Punjab’s Hoshiarpur.

Air Marshal AK Bharti, Director General Air Operations, had presented the photographic proof of the surface-to-air missile. Showcasing the debris of the PL-15 long-range missile, the armed forces said that Pakistan used several foreign weapons including Turkish drones and Chinese-origin PL-15 air-to-air missiles. This was the first time that India named China as the main arms supplier for Pakistan.

India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 following the dastardly Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. While India had targeted only terror infra deep in Pakistani territory, the Asim Munir-led forces retaliated by putting Indian military bases on radar. After four days of heightened military standoff, India and Pakistan reached a truce. However, PM Narendra Modi reiterated yesterday that Operation Sindoor is not over. “It is a pause, not conclusion,” PM had said in his address to the nation on Monday.