Home / Misleading-en / Chinese scholar, not CCP official, made statement on defending Pakistan in TV interview

Chinese scholar, not CCP official, made statement on defending Pakistan in TV interview

Multiple Twitter handles have shared the quote “China will do everything to defend Pakistan’s sovereignty against any country” — as stated by a Chinese CCP official during an interview on an Indian news channel.

Tweet by @SouthAsiaIndex claiming a Chinese CCP official stated 'China will defend Pakistan's sovereignty against any country' in an Indian TV interview, dated May 2, 2025
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Other accounts that shared a similar claim can be found below.

Tweet by @Breaking_Earth falsely claiming a Chinese CCP official said 'China will defend Pakistan's sovereignty against any country' on Indian TV, with image of Chinese and Pakistani flags side by side
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Tweet by @Breaking_Earth falsely claiming a Chinese CCP official said 'China will defend Pakistan's sovereignty against any country' on Indian TV, with image of Chinese and Pakistani flags side by side

Fact Check

Upon investigation, the claim was found to be False. We investigated the claim and found a video panel discussion by CNN News 18 channel posted on Twitter on April 28, 2025. It showed Victor Gao as one of the panelists.

Screenshot of CNN-News18 debate featuring Prof. Victor Gao of Soochow University discussing China-Pakistan relations after the Pahalgam terror attack, with visuals showing 'terrorist' and 'civilians' footage and commentary on Chinese restraint.
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In the discussion, he is seen giving statements about China’s support to Pakistan and China’s iron-clad friendship with Pakistan. One published account of this quote appears in a Pakistani outlet, Minute Mirror, where Gao is described simply as a “Chinese scholar” talking to an Indian anchor about India–Pakistan tensions.

No recognized Indian broadcaster has carried a clip or transcript of this interview, and major international wires (Reuters, AP, AFP) and leading Indian media (Times of India, NDTV, The Hindu) contain no record of any CCP official making such remarks.

Gao’s Background & Political Affiliation

Victor Gao Zhikai holds a B.A. from Soochow University and an M.A. from Beijing Foreign Studies University, followed by an M.A. in Political Science and a J.D. from Yale University. He served as Deng Xiaoping’s English translator in the 1980s, worked at China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the U.N. Secretariat, and later advised the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission. Gao is Vice President of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization and Chair Professor of International Relations at Soochow University. Although frequently labeled a “spokesman” in media discussions of Chinese policy, Gao has never held any official role within the CCP and is instead a member of the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang.

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Conclusion

The viral claim is misleading. While Professor Victor Gao did state that “China will support Pakistan’s security to the hilt,” he did so as an independent scholar and think-tank expert, not as a CCP official. His affiliation has always been with the Revolutionary Committee of the Chinese Kuomintang, and no credible source confirms that any serving CCP representative made the quoted pledge on Indian television.