China has claimed that it played a role in easing tensions between India and Pakistan after their brief military confrontation earlier this year, adding a new dimension to an already sensitive diplomatic episode.
Speaking at a symposium on China’s foreign policy on Tuesday (local time), Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Beijing had acted as a mediator in several international disputes, including between India and Pakistan. The Chinese foreign ministry later shared his remarks on social media.
Wang said China had adopted what he described as an “objective and just” approach to resolving conflicts, focusing on long-term stability rather than short-term fixes. Alongside the India-Pakistan standoff, he listed China’s involvement in efforts related to “northern Myanmar, the Iranian nuclear issue,” the Israel-Palestine conflict, and recent tensions involving Cambodia and Thailand.
The statement comes months after India and Pakistan were engaged in a brief but intense military face-off in May. The escalation followed a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam valley on April 22 that killed 26 civilians.
In response, India launched Operation Sindoor, carrying out strikes on what it described as terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. New Delhi has since firmly rejected any suggestion of third-party mediation, saying the situation was defused through direct communication between the two militaries.
According to Indian officials, Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations contacted his Indian counterpart after sustaining significant losses, and both sides agreed to halt firing and military action across land, air, and sea from May 10.
China’s latest claim has drawn attention because of its close strategic and defence relationship with Pakistan. Beijing is Islamabad’s largest supplier of military equipment.
The issue had surfaced earlier as well. In November, a US congressional advisory body accused China of running a disinformation campaign in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor. The report alleged that fake social media accounts circulated AI-generated images of supposed aircraft wreckage, with the aim of casting doubt on French Rafale fighter jets while promoting China’s own J-35 aircraft.
During the conflict itself, China had publicly urged restraint. On May 7, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it regretted India’s military action and expressed concern over the evolving situation, calling for calm on all sides.