The militaries of China and Serbia will hold their first-ever joint training exercises during the second half of July in northern China, according to officials in Beijing.
The defense collaboration will mark the first time that China has invited a European Union candidate country to march within its borders.
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Serbian soldiers stand next to their military vehicles at an exhibition of Serbia’s armed forces in Nis, southern Serbia, on February 14, 2024, ahead of Serbia’s Statehood Day. (Photo by Sasa Djordjevic / AFP)
“This will be the first joint training between Chinese and Serbian militaries,” Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, said at a press briefing on Monday.
But it will not be the first time China has conducted joint exercises with European countries, according to Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi.
China held joint military exercises with Germany in 2019, reportedly focusing on humanitarian and medical support training. And in 2024, Beijing sent troops to Belarus to conduct joint anti-terrorism training.
Monday’s announcement did not clarify which specialties the joint training may focus on, stating only that the cooperation was meant to bolster the defense capabilities of both countries and will be held in the northern province of Hebei.
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“It will help strengthen the combat capabilities of participating troops and deepen cooperation between the two militaries,” Jiang Bin stated.
A comprehensive strategic partnership agreement was signed between Beijing and Belgrade in 2016, but the pact was primarily focused on strengthening trade and economic cooperation.
The two countries signed another commitment reaffirming their joint commitments in 2021, months after Serbia became the first country in Europe to order Chinese drones – CH-92A and CH-95 unmanned aerial vehicles.
In 2022, Belgrade ordered a Chinese integrated air defense system, the HQ-22 (FK-3), becoming the first European country to deploy this weapon in early 2025.