In May, a tense and short India-Pakistan conflict turned into a secret battlefield for China’s advanced weapons, says a recent US congressional report. The bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission revealed that Beijing used this brief shootout to test and advertise its cutting-edge military gear. "Beijing opportunistically leveraged the conflict to test and advertise the sophistication of its weapons," the report said bluntly. For the first time, China’s modern weapons were tested in real combat. This included the HQ-9 air defense network, PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles, and the sleek J-10C fighter jets. The report describes the clash as "the first time China’s modern weapons systems ... were used in active combat, serving as a real-world field experiment." Though the report stops short of calling the event a full "proxy war," it notes that Pakistan’s military success over India during the four-day fight was useful amid ongoing border tensions between India and Pakistan and China’s growing defense industry goals. The conflict started after an April 22 attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where gunmen killed 26 civilians. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, which Pakistan denied. This deadly incident sparked the biggest cross-border incursions in over 50 years, turning a regional clash into a high-stakes theatre for modern military power. China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the report. In short, this under-the-radar military test not only showed the muscle of China’s new weapons but also sent a warning to Western arms makers. China’s aggressive marketing of these tested weapons aims to shake up the global arms market. Watch out, world - Beijing is showcasing its military might with flair, right where tensions flare hottest!