Weeks after the NATO chief accused China of aiding Russia in the Ukraine conflict and fueling the biggest war in Europe, China may have moved the game up a notch by admitting Belarus to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and holding military drills with the country.
Chinese military will kick off joint “anti-terrorist training” with Belarusian troops on July 8 in Brest, near the border with Poland, a NATO member.
Dubbed ‘Eagle Assault,’ the drills will run over 11 days and conclude on July 19. Interestingly, the eagle (bald eagle) has been the national bird of the US since 1782 and remains the national symbol. It is featured on the country’s Great Seal and various other official emblems.
According to a previous announcement by the Chinese Defense Ministry, the drills are mainly aimed at anti-terrorism operations and will include missions like hostage rescue. Photos released by the Belarusian Defense Ministry showed Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) troops arriving in Belarus on a Y-20 strategic transport aircraft.
Chinese experts told the state-owned publication Global Times that the joint drills will help Eastern Europe maintain peace and stability in the face of non-traditional security threats. They said China and Belarus would benefit from closer security and defense cooperation within the SCO framework.
The drills come after Belarus was officially admitted to the SCO, becoming the tenth country to join the framework dominated by China and Russia.
This marks the first time a Chinese transport plane has landed in Belarus, despite Chinese troops being invited to Russia for various drills earlier. This could be the first joint exercise where PLA troops will conduct maneuvers near NATO’s borders.
Expressing gratitude, Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov said: “In Belarus, we immediately recognized the potential of the organization and consistently moved toward becoming a full member. The SCO is not just one of the international structures for our country. It is a strategic perspective. The SCO is a new security.”
However, the drills have not been very well received by either Poland or Ukraine. The latter has maintained that it is an extension of Belarusian and Russian psychological operations against Ukraine at the back of a bloody war being fought in Ukraine.
