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Prominent Pakistani journalist Aftab Iqbal recently asserted on television that Islamabad is struggling to acquire crucial spare parts for its Chinese-supplied J-10CE fighter jets.
He attributed this supply bottleneck to ongoing financial disputes related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Furthermore, Iqbal claimed that Beijing's apparent hesitation to expedite the delivery of advanced J-35A stealth fighters is directly connected to these CPEC debt issues and the lack of expected financial returns for Chinese investors.
This commentary aligns with recent international reports indicating that China has already temporarily suspended the shipment of 16 J-10CE fighters to Pakistan due to missed payment deadlines.
The Pakistan Air Force originally inducted the 4.5-generation J-10CE fleet with immense pride, positioning it as a direct counter to the Indian Air Force's deployment of French Dassault Rafale jets.
While Pakistani officials praised the aircraft's performance during recent border tensions in May 2025, the fleet is now grappling with severe maintenance delays caused by broader economic friction between Islamabad and Beijing.
According to Iqbal, the same financial strain is affecting the highly anticipated J-35A stealth fighter agreement. Pakistan has reportedly been seeking to acquire up to 40 of these fifth-generation aircraft.
However, defence analysts point out that Pakistan's current debt crisis—where over half of its tax revenues are devoted to servicing loans—makes such an expensive acquisition highly unfeasible in the near term.
Moreover, strategic experts suggest Beijing is cautious about supplying fifth-generation fighters to avoid drastically altering the military balance in South Asia.
The journalist's claims hold substantial weight when examining the well-documented financial struggles surrounding CPEC.
Over the past few years, the economic initiative has left Pakistan heavily indebted, with loans owed to China now making up more than a quarter of the nation's total external debt.
This immense financial burden has severely worsened a balance-of-payments crisis that was already fragile before CPEC was launched.
The situation was further aggravated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which stalled infrastructure projects, while Beijing has shown little willingness to relax repayment conditions.
Consequently, the grand promises that CPEC would transform Pakistan’s industrial sector and drastically boost its export capacity remain largely unfulfilled.
This mounting debt continues to weigh heavily on the bilateral relationship.
Islamabad is currently seeking a five-year extension on approximately $15.5 billion of Chinese debt associated with CPEC energy and power projects.
These negotiations are proving incredibly difficult, especially as Pakistan is simultaneously navigating strict oversight and bailout conditions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Chinese financing remains the largest single segment of Pakistan's bilateral external debt, leading to growing domestic reflection.
Even senior Pakistani leaders have publicly admitted to administrative and strategic failures regarding the corridor's execution, with one minister recently acknowledging that the country essentially missed the opportunity to capitalise on CPEC's original promise.
