Chinese embassies in India and Pakistan issue travel warnings as tensions escalate

Global Times

Tensions continue as flare-ups between two countries enter third day

By Shen Sheng Published: May 10, 2025 12:03 AM

The Chinese embassies in both India and Pakistan issued statements on their official WeChat accounts on Friday, warning Chinese citizens to closely monitor the situation, exercise caution when traveling to either country, and reminding those in India or Pakistan to strengthen security precautions and enhance safety measures.

Tensions have remained as flare-ups between Pakistan and India have entered the third day.

Pakistan local media Pakistan Today reported that the Pakistan Army has successfully intercepted and destroyed 77 Israeli-made Heron drones sent by India to target civilian and military sites, according to security sources. The drones, part of India’s aerial aggression, were downed between Tuesday and Thursday, with 48 additional drones neutralized overnight into Friday, said the report.

As of press time, India has not responded to the report.

Several areas in the Indian-controlled Kashmir, including Jammu and Uri, situated along the international border with Pakistan, came under heavy attack by artillery fire from Pakistan, said TV media reports late on Thursday, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Friday morning.

Quoting sources, the TV reports by “India Today” stated that the Indian armed forces retaliated and shot down two fighter jets belonging to the Pakistan Air Force, Xinhua said.

However, according to a later report by Xinhua, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry rejected Indian media reports alleging cross-border attacks originating from Pakistani territory, calling them “baseless, fabricated, and aimed at creating a false pretext for escalation”.

Separately, Pakistani security sources dismissed claims carried by Indian media alleging drone or missile attacks in the Indian-controlled Kashmir and the downing of a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet, Xinhua said.

In India, the Indian army on Friday released a short video showing a strike hitting a target in Pakistan. In the short, low-resolution video, a projectile (apparently a missile) can be seen moving and hitting a structure, Xinhua reported.

The army described it as a “befitting reply” to Pakistan’s shelling, but the exact location of the destroyed structure has not been disclosed. Meanwhile, authorities in the Indian capital region Delhi on Friday installed and tested air raid sirens, according to Xinhua.

Although both countries have displayed a tough stance in their public statements, their actual actions seem to reflect caution and restraint, suggesting that neither side is willing to allow the situation to escalate further, Wang Se, associate research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times.

The internal and external environments of India and Pakistan show that the conflict is unlikely to escalate into a full-scale war, Wang said.

Both sides feel the need to adopt a tough stance in response to surging domestic public opinion, criticism from opposition parties, and mounting media pressure, in order to uphold national dignity and maintain their grip on power, the expert explained.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday directed 20-odd secretaries dealing with critical sectors to remain alert, “fool-proof functioning of essential systems, with special focus on readiness, emergency response, and internal communication protocol,” according to the Times of India.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday, during which he strongly condemned India’s missile and drone strikes that killed 31 Pakistani civilians and wounded 57 others, Pakistan local media Business Recorder reported.

The Prime Minister made clear that “Pakistan reserved the right to act in self-defense, in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.”

“Both sides clearly understand that further escalation of the conflict, or the outbreak of a larger-scale war, would have grave consequences — something neither the two countries want to see. Returning to diplomatic channels to resolve disputes is the ideal choice,” Qian Feng, director of the Research Department at the National Strategy Institute at Tsinghua University, told the Global Times.

Wang also noted that it is in the best interest of all parties for India and Pakistan to hold back at this point as India and Pakistan had engaged in contacts at the level of their respective National Security Councils.

Regarding the current situation, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated on Thursday that China is concerned about the current developments. India and Pakistan are and will always be each other’s neighbors, and are both China’s neighbors as well. China opposes all forms of terrorism.

We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, observe international law, including the UN Charter, remain calm, exercise restraint and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation. We stand ready to work with the rest of the international community to continue playing a constructive role in easing the current tensions, said Lin.