French officials say they have found that the Chinese embassies are trying to undermine Rafale sales by persuading countries that have already ordered the jets, notably Indonesia, not to buy them and instead choose Chinese-made fighters.

France's Defense Ministry said the Rafale was targeted by “a vast campaign of disinformation" that “sought to promote the superiority of alternative equipment, notably of Chinese design.”

French military and intelligence officials say China deployed its embassies to promote a disinformation campaign sowing doubts about the performance of Rafale jets during the India-Pakistan military clashes in May.