New Delhi : The gradual thaw in India-China relations following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit has coincided with new allegations from a United States congressional advisory body.
On Wednesday, the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission accused Beijing of orchestrating a “disinformation campaign” in the aftermath of India’s Operation Sindoor, using artificial intelligence-generated images and fake social media accounts to influence global defence perceptions.
What the US agency said?
In its annual report to Congress, the Commission stated that China allegedly deployed “fake social media accounts to propagate AI images of supposed ‘debris’ from planes,” portraying Indian and French aircraft as having been destroyed by Chinese systems.
The report further alleged that Beijing’s objective was to undermine the global market prospects of the French-made Rafale fighter jet, which is operated by the Indian Air Force, and instead promote its own next-generation J-35 aircraft. The narrative, it claimed, formed part of China’s wider Grey Zone strategy, a set of tactics used to influence geopolitical outcomes without direct military confrontation.
According to the Commission, China “opportunistically” exploited the India-Pakistan conflict in May, when tensions escalated sharply, to highlight what it described as the sophistication of its own weaponry. This, it argued, was intended both to reinforce China’s standing amid ongoing border tensions with India and to serve its expanding defence-export ambitions.
Operation Sindoor
India launched Operation Sindoor in May in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in April, in which 26 civilians were killed. The operation involved strikes on terror infrastructure and military assets inside Pakistan.
In August, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh confirmed that the Indian Air Force had destroyed five Pakistani fighter jets and a large airborne surveillance aircraft during the operation. The achievement boosted India’s military standing and further strained Pakistan’s efforts to challenge the narrative internationally.
India-China ties
Turning to India-China relations, the Commission’s report underscored what it described as a fundamental “asymmetry” between the two nations regarding the resolution of border disputes.
