Belarus-China military drills near Polish border raise tensions

The Chinese army reported that joint military exercises by Belarus and China, which took place near Brest, Belarus, close to the Polish border, involved simulating the recapture of an airport. The maneuvers started on July 9 and lasted until Friday. They were part of "anti-terrorism activities."

Last week, the Chinese Ministry of Defense stated that these exercises are part of the "annual plan and the consensus reached by both countries."

As part of these exercises, "joint actions in rescuing hostages and joint anti-terror operations," intended to improve the training levels and interoperability of the participating troops, were planned.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense published a detailed report from the Brest training ground on Thursday. They praised the soldiers on social media for demonstrating "good technical and tactical skills, solid training levels, and a strong fighting spirit."

The simulation of an operation to take control of the airport from terrorists using drones, paratroopers, and ground forces took place on Wednesday. Chinese commander Wang Bo informed that both sides practiced "encircling, controlling, and pursuing" their targets and refined reconnaissance and blockade tactics.

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed concern last week about strengthening military cooperation between Beijing, Russia, and Belarus. These two countries are known for their aggression towards Ukraine. Poland "carefully observes the long-term cooperation between Beijing and Minsk as a factor potentially impacting Poland's security."

The maneuvers near the Polish border coincided with the NATO summit in Washington. The summit conclusions stated that "the People's Republic of China has become a decisive factor supporting Russia's war against Ukraine through so-called 'borderless partnership' and large-scale support for the Russian defense industry base."

Simultaneously with the exercises in Belarus, Chinese and Russian forces conducted joint maritime patrols in the Pacific and marine-air exercises Joint Sea-2024 off the coast of the southern province of Guangdong during the past week.

Over three days, the navies of both countries conducted live ammunition training. State media emphasized that at least 10 Chinese and Russian warships might currently operate around Zhanjiang, working together in two joint formations.