China has claimed that it helped mediate tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this year, a statement that officials in New Delhi have dismissed as unfounded and “bizarre”.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Tuesday said Beijing had mediated multiple global flashpoints in 2025, including the standoff between India and Pakistan following the military confrontation in May.
People familiar with the developments in New Delhi said China had no role in the discussions that led to the cessation of hostilities between the two neighbours.
Also Read | HAL flies next-generation Dhruv-NG civil helicopter for the first time
India and Pakistan were locked in an intense military standoff after a terror attack in the Pahalgam valley of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22 killed 26 civilians. India responded with Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The military action came to an end on May 10.
Beijing’s claim draws pushback in New Delhi
As per the report, Wang Yi made the remarks while addressing the “Symposium on the International Situation and China’s Foreign Relations” in Beijing.
“This year, local wars and cross-border conflicts flared up more often than at any time since the end of World War II,” Wang said. “Following the Chinese approach to settling hotspot issues, we mediated in northern Myanmar, the Iranian nuclear issue, the tensions between Pakistan and India, the issues between Palestine and Israel, and the recent conflict between Cambodia and Thailand.”
People in New Delhi aware of the matter told Hindustan Times that the Chinese claim does not reflect the reality of how the India-Pakistan standoff ended.
“The claim by the Chinese side is bizarre,” one official said. Another person familiar with the discussions said the decision to halt military action was reached exclusively through direct communication between senior military officials of India and Pakistan, without any third-party involvement.
Indian officials have repeatedly maintained that there is no space for external mediation in matters involving India and Pakistan.
China’s remarks come amid earlier reports, cited by Hindustan Times, that Beijing provided Islamabad with surveillance inputs and other forms of support during the May confrontation. China remains Pakistan’s largest defence supplier, accounting for more than 80 per cent of its military hardware.
Officials also pointed to parallels with repeated claims by US President Donald Trump about mediating a truce between India and Pakistan, assertions that New Delhi has similarly rejected.
