Matthew Bruzzese, Devon Johanneson, BluePath Labs
On 9 May 2025, a Reuters report claimed that at least one Indian Air Force Rafale combat aircraft was shot down by a Pakistani pilot flying an export variant of the Chinese J-10 fighter.1 The defeat of a leading Western combat aircraft by a People’s Republic of China (PRC) indigenously-produced fighter has garnered significant attention globally from both military analysts and governments, with implications ranging from potential arms sales to the viability of PRC military equipment in a future conflict. This article examines initial reactions to the incident from official PRC state media and influential commenters.
The response of PRC state media in the weeks immediately following the shoot down has been muted, likely in an effort to preserve the PRC’s official stance as a relatively neutral third party.2 Direct discussion of the event has been limited. The incident was first reported in a China Central Television (CCTV) report on 17 May, more than a week after the initial Reuters report.3 Notably, official military and Ministry of National Defense (MND) sources have been almost completely silent. An MND spokesperson was asked directly about the shoot down on 29 May but declined to answer the question, instead expressing a general desire for regional peace and stability.4 Despite this muted response, PRC media has subtly celebrated the event. Official sources have taken a quietly triumphalist tone, praising the capabilities of the J-10 aircraft and PRC military technology more broadly, likely with an eye toward both domestic propaganda and boosting international exports.
The initial report from CCTV offers an example of this tone, saying, “Recently, our country's export-oriented J-10CE fighter achieved actual-combat results for the first time. In air combat, it shot down multiple fighter jets in one fell swoop and suffered no losses.”5 In the days following the shoot down, CCTV also posted videos lauding the capabilities of both the J-10 and the PRC-made PL-15 missile allegedly used in the shoot down.6 The latter included the hashtag, “Why Pakistan’s Air Force is so fierce.”
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