Chinese and Belarusian soldiers practice tactical coordination in the single subject mixed-group adaptive training of the China-Belarus Eagle Assault-2024 joint army training on July 9, 2024. China and Belarus held the Eagle Assault-2024 joint army training to enhance the training levels and coordination capabilities of the participating troops and deepen practical cooperation between the two armies. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Hongyang)

China and Belarus recently successfully wrapped up a joint army exercise, with a Chinese commander saying that the drill reached expected goals.

Despite Western media accusing the normal China-Belarus military cooperation of causing "NATO concerns," experts stressed the anti-terrorism nature of the joint drill as it contributes to peace and stability.

A closing ceremony of the China-Belarus Eagle Assault-2024 joint army training was held in a training ground near the city of Brest in Belarus on Thursday, China's Ministry of National Defense said in a press release on Saturday.

At the ceremony, a representative from the Belarusian side said that the joint drill completed all courses according to a preset plan and achieved full success thanks to the two sides' highly efficient command and close cooperation, while a commander from the Chinese side said that the two sides united and fought together over more than 10 days, reached the expected goals and enhanced mutual trust and friendship, according to the press release.

Set under a scenario of an anti-terrorism mission, the exercise started in early July and mixed the two countries' troops during training, as they side-by-side completed training courses including reconnaissance and search, blockading, joint strike, multidimensional infiltration and joint anti-terrorism operation, said the Chinese Defense Ministry, noting that the drill enhanced the participating forces' training level and interoperability, and deepened pragmatic cooperation between the two countries' armies.

In a comprehensive live-fire training session that started on Wednesday simulating an operation to seize an airport under terrorist control, Chinese and Belarusian troops first used drones to conduct reconnaissance, then flew in and parachuted to designated areas via helicopters, before seizing the airport and eliminating the hostile targets, the PLA Daily reported. Attack helicopters in the air and assault vehicles on the ground also joined the drill.

Wang Bo, a commander from the Chinese side, said that the two countries' troops comprehensively utilized means including fire strikes and assaults to jointly surround and eliminate simulated terrorists, honing their tactics in joint anti-terrorism operations, the PLA Daily reported.

Troops from the two sides displayed good skills and tactical capabilities, solid training level and tough fighting spirit, and showed their firm determination and combat capabilities in jointly striking terrorist activities, Wang said.

While the China-Belarus joint exercise was aimed at terrorism, a non-traditional security threat, many Western media groundlessly linked the drill with the recent NATO Summit. 

It is NATO and Western countries that have guilty consciences over targeting China in the first place, so they see everything China does as a problem, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.

China and Belarus have clearly stated that the drill was of anti-terrorism nature, which is conducive to peace and stability and does not target any third party or regional situation, the expert said.

China has also been holding many other joint military exercises with other countries recently, including an air force drill with the UAE, a joint defense exercise with Laos and a joint naval drill with Russia, noted observers, pointing out that China's military cooperation with other countries is completely normal.