Chinese soldiers have arrived in Belarus and will hold joint military exercises close to the Polish border.
Beijing’s defence ministry said on Sunday the military exercises is called “Eagle Assault” which started on Monday in Brest, which is located on the Polish border.
Belarus’s government said the military exercises “will allow … the laying of a foundation for further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint training of troops.”
Martin Sebena, a lecturer at the University of Hong Kong warned that this means there is further support for Russia and their allies from Beijing.
Sebena who is a specialist in China-Europe relations told the South China Morning Post, “The exercise will overlap with the NATO summit and takes place on the … border where Belarus for many months has ‘weaponised’ migrant flows to pressure Poland – and by extension, the EU and NATO.”
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Sebena scontinued, “It adds two extra layers to the Polish perception. First, the Poles have been reducing train transport from China via the Malaszewicze hub [near Brest] in fears of it being used for tariff circumvention, while China has worked hard to increase train-based overland trade from western China to Europe – with this hub being basically the only place where those trains enter through the EU.
“Second, the Polish president has recently been warmly welcomed in China, and since the Poles will see this exercise as directed at them, hence questions are arising in Poland about how genuine the Chinese side was.”
Just two weeks ago Poland’s President Andrzej Duda visited Beijing where he held talks with his Chinese counterpart President Xi Jinping.
President Duda said at the time is “very happy” with the Chinese President who calls him his “friend.”
Chinese troops arrived in Belarus on Saturday and they will “participate in joint anti-terrorist training from July 8 to 19,” the Belarusian Defence Ministry said.
“The training will allow the exchange of experience, coordination between Belarusian and Chinese units, [and] create a foundation for further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint training of troops,” they added.
The joint military exercises will see “hostage rescue operations and counter-terrorism missions.”
This is aimed at “enhancing training levels and coordination capabilities, as well as deepening practical cooperation between the armies of the two countries.”
The former deputy interior minister of Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko warned this Chinese-Belarusian exercise is “alarming news, not only for Ukraine.”
He added “A military exercise in Europe, on the border with NATO, Beijing thereby sends a signal to Washington and demonstrates its readiness to use the military infrastructure and territory of Belarus.
“We are watching how the bloc of Russia, China and Belarus is forming and harmonising not only politically, economically but also militarily.
“One of the goals of the bloc is to counter NATO and the West.”
The deputy head of the general staff of Belarus’s armed forces Vladimir Kupriyanyuk said the military drills are in response to NATO’s buildup of troops in the region.
Polish news website Interia reported that Kupriyanyuk said, “The current situation around Belarus continues to develop under the influence of negative factors caused by the aggressive foreign policy of the West towards the Union State of Belarus and Russia.
“In these conditions, in the western direction, directly at our borders, we see a systematic deployment of NATO coalition soldiers.”
