Increasing Western military support to India, and China’s to Pakistan, signals a shift in global alignments — and another potential flashpoint for international tensions.

Pakistan is China’s “iron brother,” but full support is a bridge too far when Beijing would much prefer de-escalation to an expanded conflict.

Pakistan, which has imported a bulk of the defense equipment including J-10C fighter jets, claimed to have shot down five Indian planes, including a French Rafale jet. This led to speculation that Chinese defense platforms may have been deployed in the conflict,