Pakistan Reveals Major Arms Offer from China (SE01E2.5)

On 06 June 2025, the Government of Pakistan had announced that it received a major arms offer from China consisting of the J-35 stealth fighter, HQ-19 theatre air defence system, and the KJ-500 airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system. The announcement was posted on the social media platform X, but was deleted on 11 June, indicating that it may have been an unintended revelation. In any case, the announcement, for the most part, was not surprising.Pakistan expressed its interest and plans to induct the J-35 as far back as 2024, and an accompanying KJ-500 AEW&C acquisition could make sense. It would allow the PAF to leverage concepts like Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC) out of the box rather than delay its adoption by solely waiting for an original integration solution. Arguably, the most surprising piece of the announcement was the inclusion of the HQ-19 – i.e., China’s theater air defence system.