China, Belarus begin joint military drills near Polish border on eve of NATO summit
China and Belarus have begun joint military exercises just a few miles from the Polish border.
The drills, codenamed “Falcon Assault”, will last until July 19 at a training ground near the city of Brest, according to the Belarusian Defense Ministry.
The exercise comes on the eve of a NATO summit in Washington where 32 member states, including Poland, will meet to discuss further military and financial assistance to Ukraine.
Let us recall that Belarus, perhaps Russia’s closest ally, has allowed Moscow to use its territory as one of the launch pads for an invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
“The events unfolding in the world are alarming and the situation is volatile, which is why we are putting into practice new forms and methods of carrying out tactical tasks,” said Major General Vadim Denisenko, commander of the Belarusian special operations forces.
The Belarusian Defense Ministry said that as part of the “anti-terrorism drills,” Chinese and Belarusian soldiers would tackle issues such as night landings, overcoming water barriers and conducting operations in populated areas.
Photos posted on Telegram showed Chinese troops disembarking from a plane and unloading their equipment.
China’s defence ministry said Belarus held a “grand welcoming ceremony” for Chinese troops on Thursday.
“The joint training aims to enhance the coordination capabilities of the participating units and deepen practical cooperation between the two militaries,” the ministry said.
It is unclear how many soldiers took part in the exercise.