5 hours ago
Last Updated:May 14, 2025, 15:25 IST
Sources said China wants to expand its weapons market beyond Pakistan and thus propagated unverified claims of Indian weapons and ammo being unable to withstand Beijing’s arsenal
Fragments of two Chinese PL 15E missiles from Pakistan recovered from Hoshiarpur area of Punjab. (News18)
India on Wednesday blocked the official X accounts of Chinese mouthpiece Global Times and Xinhua news agency for their role in spreading false narratives against the country for strategic gains.
CNN-News18 has tracked the inside story of the ban on Chinese media in India which were among the first to propagate unverified claims. “China wants gains in the global arms and weapons market. Operation Sindoor was an open display of Chinese weapons as Pakistan relies on China for 81 per cent of its weaponry. China didn’t want this to fail in any case but when the Indian system bypassed everything, they started a hybrid war," sources told CNN-News18.
They added that China wants to expand its weapons market beyond Pakistan and wants to enter Tier-1 markets like France and Russia.
In order to further their motive, pro-Pakistan networks used Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to fabricate videos, such as a clip of a burning Rafale jet falsely attributed to Operation Sindoor.
“These were traced to Chinese YouTube channels like ‘Ai in life’. Old videos of Indian aircraft crashes and a 2021 MiG-21 crash in Punjab were used as proof of Pakistani military success. China’s troll armies amplified these posts across social media, including Global Times and Xinhua. Both were the first to come out with claims of Pakistan shooting down Indian Rafale jets. These reports lacked evidence but gained traction globally due to China’s media influence."
China’s support for Pakistan’s disinformation campaign is also a means to achieve long-term strategic and economic goals.
“China doesn’t want to lose control of CPEC due to internal reasons in Pakistan such as Balochistan. This support was mandatory for controlling minerals in Balochistan as China has already entered Afghanistan for the same reasons," the sources said.
The action against X handles came days after the Indian embassy in Beijing called out Chinese media for spreading unverified claims about India’s Operation Sindoor against terrorists based in China’s all-weather ally Pakistan.
“Dear @globaltimesnews, we would recommend you verify your facts and cross-examine your sources before pushing out this kind of dis-information," the embassy said in a post on May 7.
Amid the heightened tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi had said that China will continue to stand firmly by Pakistan in upholding its “sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national independence".
Location :Beijing, China
First Published:News world AI, Troll Armies & A Hidden Agenda: Decoding The Working, Aim Of Chinese Mouthpieces | Exclusive
