It was just a matter of time before China threatened NATO. Having Indo-Pacific partner nations Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea join the 2024 NATO Summit meetings acknowledged the need for a more global bulwark against real threats from Russia, North Korea, and China. It should come as no surprise then that China might demonstrate some cross-continent reach itself. Joining Belarus in a combined military exercise on Poland’s border was how Beijing provided the tit-for-tat response.
China and Belarus Combat Forces Train Together
Sino-Russian naval exercises in the Sea of Japan and other Far East waterways have become common in recent years. However, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) participation with Belarusian forces in combat training is new. As the Associated Press reported:
“Belarus is hosting Chinese troops for a joint military drill near its border with NATO member Poland, officials said Tuesday, the first such exercise reflecting growing defense ties between the two countries. The 11-day drill named Eagle Assault 2024 started on Monday at a shooting range in the Brest region close to Poland. It comes ahead of NATO’s summit in Washington that opens on Tuesday and after Belarus last week joined a regional security organization led by China and Russia.”
In a posting on Telegram, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus gave more details on what the combat training would entail: “The servicemen will take part in a join anti-terrorist training, which will be held in the period 8 to 19 July…As part of the anti-terrorist exercises, the servicemen of both countries will work out the issues of night landing, overcoming water barriers, conducting actions in the settlement [Brest].”
According to the Belarusian defense ministry, the motivation for the combined military training is the buildup of NATO forces in Alliance nations bordering Belarus. “The drills are a response to the ‘West’s aggressive foreign policy towards Belarus’ and to ‘Ukrainian provocation,’ said Vladimir Kupriyanyuk, the deputy head of the general staff of the Belarus armed forces, at a Friday press briefing,” Politico reported. The PLA’s participation in the exercise is part of the tighter relationship between Beijing and Moscow and the fact that Belarus, on July 4, joined nine other nations as a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization formed by Russia and China to counter the US and other Western nation’s influence in the Pacific.
Belarus hosting a military exercise on a NATO member’s border is not unusual since the country is simply a surrogate of Russia. President Putin has not lost any opportunities to attempt to intimidate NATO. Most recently, Putin announced that the Kremlin would position tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus and conduct training in sustaining and employing them.
The consequence for NATO is that greater emphasis by the Baltic nations, Poland, and the Scandinavian Alliance members on border security has increased substantially. For example, Finland and Sweden have been proactive in increasing defense spending and military capabilities, in many cases outpacing long-time NATO members. “Sweden and Finland have set the standard for what it means to be a NATO member by investing in their own military capabilities and by taking responsibility for security in Europe,” the Heritage Foundation’s The Daily Signal observed.
Beijing Continues to Extend Its Global Reach
Beijing’s program of extending its reach has not been limited to land-based exercises attempting to intimidate NATO. “The US Navy responded in force when China and Russia expanded their maritime exercise operation from the Sea of Japan to sovereign waters off Alaska,” Liberty Nation News reported. Over the past several years, the People’s Liberation Army Navy has more frequently conducted operations outside its neighborhood. Not long ago, LNN observed that China’s intentions to become a global military presence were manifest and troubling. For Belarus, being host for a military training event with China may be a demonstration of its military prowess among its neighbors. For Beijing, it’s a continuation of its campaign to be a presence in global affairs.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
