Chinese MOD spokesman denies J-10 to Egypt rumours, KSA-PRC think tank cooperation, Chinese trade delegation to KSA, Growth in PRC firms in Dubai, Bank of China chairman in Bahrain
China denies selling Egypt J-10 fighter jets - Anadolu Ajansi. This is not surprising to me. I’ve written here and for the Atlantic Council that I was skeptical of reports that Egypt would buy Chinese military aircraft. Since this story was first ‘reported’ in June 2024 by a not especially credible looking website* full of popup ads. In this story it was just described as Egypt was considering acquiring the J-10C and J-31 fighter jets. Then in September yet another outlet, Bulgarian Military, announced that Egypt had made the purchase, and other analysis sites started picking up on it. Still, there wasn’t any actual reporting, just stories - sometimes on legitimate media like SCMP - based on this one source. On February 13 Egypt’s Daily News reported that the J10s had arrived in Egypt, but this too was based on unsubstantiated sources:
Egypt has received its first batch of J-10CE fighter jets from China, marking a significant shift in the country’s air defence strategy and reinforcing its commitment to diversifying military suppliers. The delivery, confirmed by aviation defence analyst Húrin on social media platform X, comes months after Egypt reportedly placed its initial order on 19 August 2024. This acquisition underscores Cairo’s growing military cooperation with China amid ongoing restrictions from the United States and Europe on supplying Egypt with advanced weaponry.
Since the story was first announced I’ve asked several people from a range of countries working on related issues from across the Middle East and nobody thought it was legitimate. In several recent conversations I’ve been told that it looks like a misinformation campaign directed at the US, something I alluded to in the Atlantic Council piece linked above:
Most importantly, purchasing Chinese fighter jets would likely affect the Foreign Military Financing that Egypt gets from the United States—financing that must be approved by the US Congress. In 2024 this totaled $1.3 billion. In an era of US-China competition, Washington would not look favorably on Egypt bringing Chinese fighter jets into its air force. At this point, the J-10C rumor looks like an attempt to trigger the United States’ competitive instinct, but with Trump’s upcoming return to the White House, Cairo might see a path to the long-coveted F-35s.
Whatever the case, we now have a response from China’s Defense Ministry:
China Thursday denied that the Egyptian Air Force received its first batch of J-10 fighter jets from China, reported state media.
“It is inconsistent with the facts. Total fake news,” said Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian.
Wu’s remarks came following various media reports that Egypt had received the jets from China.
Daily News Egypt had reported on Feb. 13 that Egypt received J-10 fighter jets from China.
The J-10C is a 4.5-generation multi-role fighter, equipped with PL-15 long-range air-to-air missiles, capable of engaging targets up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) away—beyond visual range.
Meanwhile, last week Bulgarian Military started again, with a story from the same ‘author’, Boyo Nikolov (who has 6939 posts on the website!!!) that Sudan “may be on the verge of a significant military upgrade through a deal with China” to buy J-10Cs.
*I’m not including links to these sites - not keen to drive up their traffic. You can find them easily enough if you want; if not drop me an email.