Joint military drills between China and Belarus have started close to Brest, about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from Poland’s border with NATO and the EU. Code-named “Falcon Assault,” these 11-day drills will include a range of tactical missions, including training for urban battle, night landings, and navigating water obstacles.
The exercises, dubbed “anti-terrorist training,” are meant to improve the two forces’ ability to coordinate and strengthen their actual practical cooperation.
Images of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) personnel landing in Belarus on a Chinese Y-20 strategic transport aircraft were made public by the defense ministry of Belarus. On July 6, a lavish welcome ceremony was held for the Chinese forces.
The head of Belarus’s special operations command, Major General Vadim Denisenko, emphasized the value of these drills in preparing for evolving forms and tactics of combat in light of the complicated international environment.
Why is China holding military drills in Belarus?
Concern has been raised by NATO countries about Brest’s closeness to Poland and Ukraine as it is just 50 kilometers from the border between Belarus and Ukraine. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Poland has been a crucial ally of that country, hence Poland is concerned about these exercises. NATO’s summit, which is set for July 9–11 in Washington, D.C., will probably talk about these developments.
Chinese forces reportedly took part in a military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of Belarusian liberation in Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, according to state-run media in China. These events take place in tandem with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, visiting Warsaw and signing a security accord with Donald Tusk, the prime minister of Poland.
According to statements from the Belarusian government, these exercises will set the stage for future growth of bilateral ties between Belarus and China in the area of cooperative military training. The goal of the exercises, according to the Chinese Ministry of Defense, is to improve the participating troops’ coordination ability. It is part of an annual plan and consensus.
Military ties revived after long gap
China hasn’t dispatched military forces to Belarus for these kinds of drills in six years. China hosted their most recent bilateral joint exercises, but both nations took part in Russia’s multilateral Vostok exercise in August 2022. Following a meeting in August of last year in Minsk between Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and China’s then-defense leader Li Shangfu, the decision was made to increase the frequency of cooperative military exercises. The drills are being held in the context of Belarus becoming the tenth member of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at its 24th heads of council meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan. Presidents Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and Xi Jinping of China praised this breakthrough as a major advancement in their bilateral relations.
Geostrategic muscle flexing by China
The coordinated exercises are thought to be a direct reaction to NATO forces being stationed closer to Belarus’s borders.
According to a Telegram statement from the Belarusian defense ministry, tensions in the region are rising as a result of the fast expansion of NATO forces along Belarus’ border.
“Our country is taking all possible measures to prevent escalation. However, if someone crosses our borders, the reaction will be harsh,” the statement warned.
The placement of Russia’s tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus strengthens their strategic alliance and has important ramifications for both NATO and regional security. Russia relocated some of its tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus in 2023, strengthening Moscow and Minsk’s strategic partnership.
Because of the Russian nuclear weapons stationed in Belarus, Lukashenko is no longer free to pursue his own interests; instead, the Kremlin has taken him captive and is forcing Minsk to follow its directives.
What is the agenda of China and Russia?
China and Russia’s larger plan to oppose Western influence is reflected in the joint drills and Belarus’s admission to the SCO.
Founded in 2001 with the goal of promoting border security and fighting terrorism, the SCO has developed into a geopolitical force that opposes Western institutions, spearheaded by the US and its allies.
Meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping have indicated a closer alignment of the two countries in the face of growing Western sanctions and scrutiny.
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Western leaders are becoming more and more worried that China might be thinking about helping Russia militarily—a move that US officials fear might have deadly repercussions.
Wang Yi, the foreign minister of China, and Maksim Ryzhenkov, the recently appointed foreign minister of Belarus, pledged to “firmly support each other” on matters pertaining to their shared core interests and primary concerns, emphasizing their resistance to an American-dominated global order.
