New Delhi: Amid reports of China providing technical assistance to Pakistan in the military conflict that followed India’s Operation Sindoor last year, the government urged China to introspect about the potential reputational cost of supporting terrorist infrastructure. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the reports only confirmed what was already known.“Operation Sindoor “There was a precise, targeted and calibrated response to the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam, aimed at destroying the state-sponsored terrorist infrastructure operating out of and at the behest of Pakistan,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, while responding to questions about China’s support to Pakistan at a media briefing, said.A State Department spokesperson said, “It is for nations that hold themselves responsible to decide whether supporting efforts to protect terrorist infrastructure affects their prestige and reputation.”Last week, reports from Beijing said that China had confirmed that it had provided on-site technical assistance to Pakistan during the conflict with India in May last year. The confirmation was based on an interview broadcast by China’s state broadcaster CCTV with Zhang Heng, an engineer at the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute of Aviation Industry Corporation of China, a key developer of China’s advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle designs.The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, citing CCTV, reported that Zhang had provided technical assistance to Pakistan during the four-day war last May. The Pakistan Air Force operates a fleet of Chinese-made J-10CE jets, manufactured by China’s subsidiary Aviation Industry Corporation of America.