Power Show

May 14, 2025 (MLN): While the world was expecting another chapter of old rivals India and Pakistan colliding, and they did briefly, this time it was different. What unfolded was a dazzling power show led not just by Pakistan but also by China’s cutting-edge weaponry, which was tested, fired, and displayed with surgical precision.

Of course, one cannot overlook the skill of Pakistani pilots. Still, that war was a game changer and a new kind of warfare.

It is obvious that the power show during Operation Bunyan-e-Marsous was one of the key factors that compelled U.S. President Donald Trump to call for a ceasefire, the same man who, just a day earlier, had stated that it was not America’s concern and they would not intervene.

As the dust settled, global attention was not just on the subcontinent but on the skies above, where Chinese JF-17 Thunders and J-10C jets dominated the headlines. Some even declared that the Pakistan Air Force had become the "King of the Air."

Before this war, the global arms market had been dominated by Western names, the US, Israel, and France for years, and all were considered gold standards in military technology.

On the other hand, Chinese defense equipment was often dismissed as budget hardware, affordable only for poor or developing nations. But the recent testing of these aircraft in subcontinental skies has rattled those assumptions.

Chinese-made J-10C jets of the Pakistan Air Force shot down five Indian fighter aircraft, including French-built Rafales, proving to be both battle-tested and budget-friendly.

 The Indian army, however, is tight-lipped, neither confirming nor denying the losses.

Right after this news, the manufacturer of the J-10C saw a staggering jump in its market valuation, with shares skyrocketing by over 55 billion yuan ($7.6 billion) by week’s end.

The remarkable performance of Chinese military technology in this operation must have raised serious concerns and caused considerable surprise across the region, and especially among Western powers, who had long underestimated its capabilities.

Earlier, Chinese-made weapons have suffered from malfunctions, poor durability, or compatibility issues with non-Chinese platforms. But this time, the performance of China’s aerial hardware was hard to ignore.

The success implications go beyond military headlines as the developing countries,s especially those caught in the tug-of-war between Western alliances and Chinese trade partnerships, might see Beijing’s arsenal in a new light.

China is the fourth-largest arms exporter globally, but its customer base has historically been limited to countries with constrained budgets.

Tariff war also reset

Right after one day of CEASEFIRE, another kind of warfare came to a quiet pause- the tariff war between China and the United States, which President Trump announced to slash its blanket tariff from 145% to 30% on China for 90 days.

Trump termed as a “total reset” of trade terms, and both countries agreed to drastically reduce the punitive tariffs they had imposed on each other since January.

China responded by cutting its retaliatory duties to 10%. While some tariffs were merely suspended for 90 days, not permanently withdrawn, the move still sent global markets surging. The S&P 500 rose 3.2%, the Dow by 2.8%, and the Nasdaq leapt 4.3%.

This tariff reset may be more political or even psychological than purely economic. It may signal a recognition that China is no longer the underdog in trade or technology.

The whole power show subtly toned down and reshaped the geopolitical tone.

Copyright Mettis Link News