Chinese air force chief Lieutenant General Wang Gang has lauded the “exemplary performance” of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) during the Pakistan-India conflict in May.

As New Delhi launched deadly air strikes on Pakistan in early May over allegations about the Pahalgam attack, which Islamabad denied, PAF downed six Indian jets in retaliation. After tit-for-tat strikes on each other’s airbases, it took American intervention on May 10 for both sides to finally reach a ceasefire.

The praise from Lt Gen Gang came as a high-level defence delegation led by him called on PAF’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu at Air Headquarters in Islamabad, the military’s media affairs wing said in a press release on Tuesday.

“Lauding the professional acumen and strategic foresight of PAF’s leadership, the visiting dignitary paid rich tribute to the exemplary performance of Pakistan Air Force during the recent conflict with India,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated.

Gen Wang, chief of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (Plaaf), praised the “decisive and measured response delivered by PAF pilots under the resolute leadership of the air chief, describing it as a textbook example of precision, discipline and courage in the face of unprovoked aggression”.

During their meeting, the two air force heads discussed “matters of mutual interest, regional security dynamics and avenues of enhanced bilateral cooperation, particularly in the domain of airpower and operational synergy”.

During the conflict, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said the PAF used Chinese J-10C jets in its response to India’s attack. However, China’s foreign ministry had said it was “not familiar with the matter”.

On Monday, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir rejected India’s insinuation of direct Chinese support to Pak­­i­stan during the May conflict, calling it a “shoddy attempt” by New Delhi to repudiate Pakistan’s military capabilities.

According to a Reuters report, Indian army’s Deputy Chief Lt Gen Rahul Singh of India’s army had alleged that China gave Islamabad “live inputs” on key Indian positions during the conflict and provided “all possible support”.

During the meeting today, Lt Gen Gang also expressed “deep appreciation for the high state of operational readiness and the cutting-edge capabilities” of the PAF, according to ISPR.

He was “particularly impressed by PAF’s seamless integration of multi-domain operations, terming it a hallmark of modern air warfare and conveyed Plaaf’s keen interest in learning from PAF’s battle-proven experience in multi-domain operations”.

The Plaaf chief was given a comprehensive briefing on PAF’s modern force structure, strategic initiatives and the evolution of its operational doctrine, the ISPR statement added.

Air Chief Marshal Sidhu also reaffirmed the “strong bond of friendship between the two air forces and reiterated PAF’s commitment to expanding cooperation in training, technology and operational domains”.

He extended a gracious welcome to the distinguished guests, reiterating that Pakistan and China enjoy historic and time-tested ties rooted in mutual trust, strategic convergence, and shared aspirations for regional peace and stability.

“The meeting stands as a testament to the shared resolve of Pakistan and China to advance their time-tested strategic partnership through deepened cooperation and innovation-driven collaboration,” the ISPR highlighted.

Last week, the air chief also met with senior military and political leadership of the United States in the first official visit by a serving PAF air chief in “over a decade”.