Chinese and Belarusian troops practice seizing airport in drill near Ukrainian and Polish borders
- The ‘anti-terrorist’ exercise was held just days after Nato denounced Beijing as a ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia’s war effort
![Troops take part in a training exercise during the joint China-Belarus drills. Photo: Reuters](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/19/f42ca51a-f056-4220-87fb-3322de1e0a9d_7f4ed24a.jpg?itok=BBtPJ2_D&v=1721379281)
Chinese and Belarusian troops have simulated the capture of an airport in an exercise near the border with Poland and Ukraine – days after Nato denounced Beijing as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war effort.
The joint air-ground exercise comes just days after the Washington Summit Declaration issued by Nato leaders after their meeting in the US capital, which said China’s deepening partnership with Russia was a matter of “profound concern” to the alliance.
Its criticism of China over the war in Ukraine also cited its “no-limits partnership” with Moscow and “large-scale support for Russia’s defence industrial base”.
Belarus has been a key supporter of Moscow’s war effort since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022 and it has agreed to store Russia tactical nuclear warheads on its territory.
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