ANALYSIS: Chinese Military Delegation Negotiates Logistics Cooperation with Belarus

A military delegation from China arrived in Minsk, Belarus, to negotiate bilateral military logistics support cooperation.

“From July 11 to 13, a Chinese military delegation of the Joint Logistics Forces of the People’s Liberation Army of China is visiting Minsk,” a Telegram announcement from the Belarusian Ministry of Defense said on Friday.

“Today, negotiations were held on bilateral cooperation in the field of logistics support for the armed forces of Belarus and China, prospects and new areas of cooperation were discussed,” it read.

It’s not clear if the negotiations are directly connected to the ongoing “anti-terrorist” exercises conducted by Chinese and Belarusian troops on the Polish border, in which Chinese diplomatic officials insisted military activity was “not aimed at any country in particular.”

The Chinese defense ministry said in an official statement that both sides were working to “improve combat techniques and deepen cooperation and communication between the two armies.”

What’s the implication?

The logistics nature of the negotiations might be some cause for concern.

Logistics is the backbone of any military operation – the lack of which can be disastrous for any military campaign, as demonstrated by Moscow’s abysmal performance during the initial period of its 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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Thus far, neither Belarus nor China has experience in coordinating major modern military operations or their associated logistics – but Belarus, despite not being an official war party in Ukraine, has been received Russian training, which does possess that experience.

It would be speculative at best to say that China is learning from Belarus, but concerns remain that both countries, neither of which is at war and are thousands of kilometers apart, are now negotiating bilateral cooperation on military logistics.

Another point of concern is the presence of Beijing’s troops so close to NATO against the background of the growing ties between authoritarian states, which the Alliance’s General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg commented on at the recent NATO summit.

“The Chinese exercise together with Belarusian forces in Belarus. It’s part of a pattern that just confirms how authoritarian regimes are aligning more and more and also how China is coming closer to NATO, in Europe, in Africa, in the Arctic and elsewhere,” said Stoltenberg in response to a journalist’s inquiry on the “anti-terrorist” exercise.

Belarus and China have shared a friendly relationship for years, with major Chinese investments in Belarus. However, apart from the occasional appearance of Chinese troops on Belarusian military parades, there has never been a joint military exercise between the two – until now.

Of course, this latest military cooperation might simply be a “thumbing of the nose” as NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary, but there remain points of concern that should not be neglected.