Abstract:

Operation Sindoor of 2025 marked a significant shift in South Asia’s security architecture due to the conspicuous and multi-dimensional role of China. Unlike previous crises, China’s role extended beyond diplomatic support, functioning as an active shaper of the conflict to advance its strategic interests against a rising India. This paper examines how China utilised the conflict to execute a coordinated strategy encompassing military, proxy, informational, and geo-economic domains. The central argument is that China leveraged Pakistan to achieve four key goals: (i) to disrupt India's internal stability through the facilitation of cross-border terrorism and communal polarization; (ii) to test and promote its advanced military technologies; (iii) to undermine India's appeal as a global manufacturing and foreign investment destination; and (iv) to amplify anti-India narratives via state media and social platforms.

The analysis confirms the conflict was a hybrid warfare paradigm where Beijing sought to gain a strategic advantage without confrontation. However, India responded with a comprehensive strategy of military precision, targeted information countermeasures, and economic resilience, which successfully neutralised China’s efforts to destabilise the market and impede industrial growth. The study concludes that the 2025 conflict defines a new, complex phase in the China-Pakistan-India strategic triangle, necessitating India’s continuous adaptation to these hybrid threats.

Keywords:

Operation Sindoor, South Asia Security, proxy warfare, Geo-economics

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