Beijing: French military and intelligence officials have reported that China orchestrated a disinformation campaign through its embassies to undermine the reputation of French-made Rafale jets. The campaign was aimed at promoting Chinese-made military aircraft by sowing doubts about the performance of Rafale jets during the India-Pakistan military clashes in May.
According to France24.com, findings from a French intelligence service, shared with The Associated Press, reveal that defense attachés in Chinese embassies led efforts to discredit Rafale sales. They attempted to persuade countries, such as Indonesia, that have already ordered the French-made fighter jets not to purchase additional units, while encouraging potential buyers to consider Chinese-made planes. The India-Pakistan military clashes in May, which involved air combat between dozens of aircraft from both nations, served as the backdrop for this disinformation campaign.
Military officials and researchers have been investigating the performance of Pakistan’s Chinese-made military hardware compared to the French-made Rafale fighters used by India during the conflict. French authorities have been actively working to counter the reputational damage caused by what they describe as a coordinated campaign of disinformation from Pakistan and China. This campaign reportedly involved viral social media posts, manipulated imagery, AI-generated content, and video-game depictions to simulate combat scenarios.
While French military officials have not directly linked the online disinformation efforts to the Chinese government, the French intelligence service has noted that Chinese embassy defense attachés echoed similar narratives during meetings with security and defense officials from other countries. These narratives questioned the performance of Indian Air Force Rafales and promoted Chinese-made weaponry.
The French Defense Ministry has condemned the disinformation campaign, emphasizing that it targeted not only the Rafale jets but also France’s strategic autonomy, industrial reliability, and international reputation. Dassault Aviation, the manufacturer of Rafale jets, has sold 533 units worldwide, with significant exports to countries like Egypt, India, Qatar, and Indonesia.
China’s Ministry of National Defense has dismissed the allegations as “groundless rumors and slander,” maintaining that China takes a responsible approach to military exports. However, experts suggest that China’s efforts to undermine Rafale sales could be part of a broader strategy to weaken Western influence in the Indo-Pacific region by questioning the reliability of French military equipment.
Justin Bronk, an airpower specialist at the Royal United Services Institute in London, noted that China may be using the purported performance of Pakistani weapon systems as a tool to diminish the attractiveness of Rafale jets in the region, potentially impacting France’s security relationships with Asian nations.