China attempted to inflict reputational damage on the French Rafale fighter jet through its embassies in the aftermath of the May India-Pakistan clashes, according to French intelligence.
The campaign, led by Chinese defense attaches, was aimed at eroding the Dassault aircraft’s sales in favor of Chinese alternatives, Associated Press reported, citing a French intelligence report.
As part of the effort, the Chinese officials tried to convince the French aircraft’s present and potential customers — notably Indonesia — about its poor performance against Chinese platforms in the four-day conflict between the two South Asian countries.
The officials sought to dissuade the customers from buying more Rafales and encourage the potential customers to go for the Chinese platforms.
French officials learned about the meetings from the countries that were approached by the Chinese officials, according to Associated Press.
Online Campaign
During the meetings, the Chinese officials echoed unverified online commentary on Rafale’s poor performance during the four-day conflict.
According to French officials, the online discourse, which included manipulated imagery and AI-generated content of supposed Rafale debris, was generated from Pakistan and China.
Around 1,000 social media accounts were created during the episode to push the narrative, Associated Press reported, citing French researchers who specialize in online disinformation.
Although a direct link between the negative online commentary on the aircraft and the Chinese government has not yet been established by French intelligence, the narrative was used by the defense attachés to argue the superiority of Chinese weaponry over the French.
‘Strategic French Offering’
Pakistan claimed to have shot down six Indian Air Force jets, including three Rafales, during the opening night of aerial battles on May 7-8.
India has denied the claim. However, the country has accepted the loss of some aircraft, likely a lesser figure.
“The Rafale was not randomly targeted. It is a highly capable fighter jet, exported abroad and deployed in a high-visibility theater,” Associated Press quoted a French Ministry of the Armed Forces statement as saying.
“The Rafale was also targeted because it represents a strategic French offering. By attacking the aircraft, certain actors sought to undermine the credibility of France and its defense industrial and technological base.
The disinformation campaign therefore did not merely target an aircraft, but more broadly a national image of strategic autonomy, industrial reliability, and solid partnerships.”
