Chinese special forces continue joint exercises with Belarusian troops near the Polish border, sparking concern for NATO.
Servicemen of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) arrived in Belarus following the news about deterioration near the border and an alleged provocation by NATO.
Officially, the special forces are conducting anti-terrorist exercises with Minsk, according to the Belarusian Defence Ministry. However, NATO regarded Beijing’s actions, including the “drone wall,” as an escalation of relations on the Alliance’s eastern border.
The anti-terrorist drills, held from 8 to 19 July, created “a foundation for further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint training of troops,” the Ministry of Defence reported. However, despite the official versions, many military experts argued about ulterior motives of the exercises.
Recently, provocations by NATO and Ukraine on the borders with Belarus have intensified, including alleged sabotage squads, drone surveillance of defence companies, and an increase in the Ukrainian troop grouping on the border. Belarus does not rule out possible provocations “in the near future.”
NATO is going to implement an integrated border management system on its eastern flank, according to the European Union’s BorderUAS project. It involves the introduction of unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, and smart sensors to secure the EU’s eastern borders.
NATO response
Meanwhile, outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg criticised China for conducting the drills, accusing Beijing of “coming closer to NATO”, according to Politico.
The Chinese exercise together with Belarusian forces … just confirms how authoritarian regimes are aligning more and more, and also how China is coming closer to NATO, in Europe, in Africa and the Arctic and elsewhere.
He also noted that the China-Belarus anti-terrorist drills coincided with the NATO summit.
«China is oppressing its own people, cracking down on democratic voices … in Hong Kong, more assertive behavior in the South China Sea, threatening neighbors, threatening Taiwan. And China is conducting a huge military buildup with no transparency and investing heavily in modern missiles [and] nuclear weapons.”
Stoltenberg expressed concern about China’s deepening military co-operation with Russia and Belarus, noting the danger to neighbouring Poland.
We have been closely monitoring the ongoing military co-operation between Belarus and China for years, recognising its potential impact on Poland’s security.
Polish authorities added that the actions “multiply threats in our neighbourhood” and “all into question China’s attempts to position itself as a neutral state” in the war between Russia and Ukraine.
