Chinese and Belarusian forces to commence "Eagle Attack 2024" drills
Chinese and Belarusian armed forces will conduct joint military exercises named "Eagle Attack 2024." The anti-terrorism maneuvers will take place around Brest in Belarus, Chinese media reported on Monday. According to information from the Belarusian side, the exercises will last from July 8 to 19.
The Chinese Ministry of Defense explained that the decision to conduct joint maneuvers is the result of the "annual plan and consensus reached by both countries."
In a statement released on Sunday, it was emphasized that both sides will use a mixed form of training for the anti-terrorism exercises. The joint exercises will include activities related to hostage rescue and anti-terrorism operations. The aim of these activities is to improve the level of training and interoperability of the participating forces and deepen pragmatic cooperation between them.
According to information provided by the Ministry of Defense, soldiers of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) have already arrived in Belarus. However, no exact start and end dates for the exercises were given.
Chinese-Belarusian maneuvers near the Polish border
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced in its press release that the maneuvers are scheduled from July 8 to 19. The Belarusian side also emphasized that the joint exercises would enable the exchange of experiences, coordination of units from both countries and the development of the basis for further development of Belarusian-Chinese relations in the field of joint military training.
The Chinese daily "Global Times" noted that these would be the first joint maneuvers of the armies of these countries since Belarus joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization last week, which was initiated by Russia and China. The newspaper also recalled that the PLA Honour Guard recently participated in a military parade in Minsk on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus.
"Global Times," citing unnamed observers, wrote: "Both events have shown that the PLA is capable of rapid troop transport in case of a security threat."
