In the video clip, which was published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus on Monday, about ten soldiers are seen marching under a Chinese flag.
The whole thing is supposed to be filmed near the city of Brest, which is close to the border with Poland.
During a press conference on Friday, Belarus’ deputy head of the country’s armed forces, Vladimir Kupriyanyuk, said the exercise is a response to “the West’s aggressive foreign policy against Belarus” and “provocations from Ukraine”.
New member of SCO
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is a two-week exercise to combat terrorism, and the reason that Chinese soldiers are participating is because Belarus became the tenth member of the Shanghai Co-operation Organization, SCO, barely a week ago.
The ten countries – including China, Russia and Iran – that are part of the SCO cooperate, among other things, to prevent terrorism within the borders of the member states.
The organization also works for a more multipolar world order – something that Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s ditto Xi Jinping are often heard advocating.
“A hybrid war is underway”
The exercise not only coincides with Belarus’ entry into the SCO. On Tuesday, the three-day NATO summit begins in Washington.
Polish Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said last week that Poland and Lithuania will raise the issue of border protection during the meeting.
“There is a hybrid war going on on the border between Poland and Belarus,” says Kosiniak-Kamysz.