Chinese President Xi Jinping is seeking to win the support of his allies in the run-up to the NATO summit in Washington, which begins today.
China will hold joint military exercises in the coming days with Belarus – a best friend of Russia – and has reached out to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, two leading anti-NATO figures within the alliance.
Today, China is planning joint military drills with anti-NATO Belarus on NATO’s doorstep. The combined team education trainings will take place in Brest, on the border with Poland, NATO’s best friend, prompting considerations about the alliance’s proximity.
Chinese state media Xinhua said it “aims to improve the education degrees and coordination functions of the troops involved, as well as deepen practical cooperation between the armies of the two countries. “
Former Belarusian diplomat Pavel Slunkin said this may simply constitute an escalation in relations between Belarus and China, as it marks a step forward from typical agreements with Russia or its Collective Security Treaty Organization.
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He told China Watcher, “They have already conducted training, but I don’t do any similar joint training in Belarus on this scale. “
Relations between China and Belarus are already being monitored through NATO, and one official said the two countries “remain vigilant” as their alliance deepens.
The official told POLITICO on condition of anonymity: “NATO monitors all army maneuvers near its borders. The training of China and Belarus near Poland illustrates the development of appointments between authoritarian powers. We remain vigilant. “
Regarding China’s alliance with Turkey, Erdogan expressed his intention to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security forum led by China and Russia.
He told reporters at the annual assembly in Astana: “We need to further expand our relations with Russia and China in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. We believe that they accept us not only as a partner in the discussion but also as a member like any other. “
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According to the official Xinhua news agency, Xi will “maintain close communication” with Turkey, which he called a like-minded partner.
He said: “China and Turkey share the same or similar perspectives on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Ukraine crisis and other issues, and remain in close communication. “
This comes ahead of the NATO summit in Washington, which will be held from 9 to 11 July, and the alliance’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, who has warned of the urgent need to keep an eye on Asia.
He told CBS, “The war in Ukraine demonstrates how strongly aligned Russia and China, North Korea and Iran are. China is the catalyst for Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
“Everyone needs NATO and the United States to fail in Ukraine, and if Putin wins in Ukraine, that will embolden only President Putin, but also President Xi. “
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