“Beijing opportunistically leveraged the conflict to test and advertise the sophistication of its weapons,” a new report from the bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission stated bluntly.

It highlighted the combat debut of systems such as the HQ-9 air defence network, PL-15 beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles, and J-10C fighter jets, describing the skirmish as “the first time China’s modern weapons systems … were used in active combat, serving as a real-world field experiment”.

While cautioning that labelling the episode a full “proxy war” might overstate China’s role, the commission said that Pakistan’s military success over India during the four-day clash was useful in the context of its “ongoing border tensions with India and its expanding defence industry goals”.

China’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.