French intelligence claims China trying to foil global sale of Rafale jets

French officials allege China’s overseas embassies starring complaint to undermine Rafale income aft India-Pakistan struggle successful May, says report.

French subject and quality officials assertion China has deployed its embassies to dispersed doubts astir the show of French-made Rafale jets pursuing the aerial combat betwixt India and Pakistan successful May.

The Associated Press quality agency, quoting French officials, reported connected Sunday that Beijing is moving to harm the estimation and income of France’s flagship combatant aircraft.

French officials accidental they person recovered that the Chinese embassies are trying to undermine Rafale income by persuading countries that person already ordered the jets, notably Indonesia, not to bargain them and alternatively take Chinese-made fighters.

The AP study said the findings were shared by a French subject authoritative connected information that they should not beryllium named.

Four days of India-Pakistan clashes successful May were the astir superior confrontation successful years betwixt the 2 nuclear-armed neighbours, which included aerial combat involving dozens of craft from some sides.

Military officials and researchers person since been digging for details of however Pakistan’s Chinese-made subject hardware – peculiarly warplanes and air-combat missiles – fared against weaponry that India utilized successful aerial strikes connected Pakistani targets, notably French-made Rafale fighters.

Sales of Rafales and different armaments are large concern for the French defence manufacture and assistance Paris to fortify ties with different nations, including successful Asia, wherever China is becoming the ascendant determination power.

India confirms losses

Pakistan says its aerial unit downed 5 Indian planes during the fighting, including 3 Rafales. French officials accidental that prompted questions astir their show from countries that person bought the combatant from French shaper Dassault Aviation.

India acknowledged craft losses but did not accidental however many. French aerial unit main General Jerome Bellanger said helium has seen grounds pointing to conscionable 3 craft losses – a Rafale, a Russian-made Sukhoi and a Mirage 2000, which is an earlier procreation French-made jet.

Debris of an craft lies successful the compound of a mosque astatine Pampore successful Pulwama territory of Indian-administered Kashmir, May 7, 2025 [Dar Yasin/AP Photo]

It was the archetypal known combat nonaccomplishment of a Rafale, which France has sold to 8 countries. “Of course, each those, the nations that bought Rafales, asked themselves questions,” Bellanger said.

French officials person been battling to support the level from reputational damage, pushing backmost against what they allege was a concerted run of Rafale-bashing and disinformation online from Pakistan and its ally, China.

They accidental the run included viral posts connected societal media, manipulated imagery showing expected Rafale debris, AI-generated contented and video-game depictions to simulate expected combat.

More than 1,000 societal media accounts recently created arsenic the India-Pakistan clashes erupted besides dispersed a communicative of Chinese technological superiority, according to French researchers who specialise successful online disinformation.

French claims

Military officials successful France accidental they person not been capable to nexus the online Rafale-bashing straight to the Chinese government.

But the French quality work said Chinese embassy defence attaches echoed the aforesaid communicative successful meetings they held with information and defence officials from different countries, arguing that Indian Rafale jets performed poorly and promoting Chinese-made weaponry.

The defence attaches focused their lobbying connected countries that person ordered Rafales and different imaginable lawsuit nations that are considering purchases, the quality work said. It said French officials learned of the meetings from nations that were approached.

The French Ministry for Armed Forces said the Rafale was targeted by “a immense run of disinformation” that “sought to beforehand the superiority of alternate equipment, notably of Chinese design”.

“The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is simply a highly susceptible combatant jet, exported overseas and deployed successful a high-visibility theatre,” the French ministry wrote connected its website.

Asked by AP to remark connected the alleged effort to dent Rafale’s appeal, the Ministry of National Defence successful Beijing said: “The applicable claims are axenic groundless rumours and slander. China has consistently maintained a prudent and liable attack to subject exports, playing a constructive relation successful determination and planetary bid and stability.”

Dassault Aviation has sold 533 Rafales, including 323 exported to Egypt, India, Qatar, Greece, Croatia, the United Arab Emirates, Serbia and Indonesia. Indonesia has ordered 42 planes and is considering buying more.