China and Serbia will conduct their first-ever joint military training exercise later this month in northern China’s Hebei Province, China’s defence ministry said on July 14.

The joint Chinese-Serbian military training exercise signals an intensifying strategic partnership between Beijing and Belgrade, with implications for the broader geopolitical landscape in the Balkans and Europe.

Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defence, announced that the exercise, named Peace Defenders-2025, will take place in the second half of July and involve special operations troops from both countries.

“This will be the first joint training between Chinese and Serbian militaries. It will help strengthen combat capabilities of participating troops and deepen cooperation between the two militaries,” Jiang said at a press briefing.

The exercise represents China’s first military training with a European country since it conducted joint counterterrorism drills with Belarus near the Poland-Ukraine border last July. It also underscores the increasingly close ties between Beijing and Belgrade amid Serbia’s unique geopolitical position in Europe.

Serbia is China’s closest European partner, a relationship forged in part by shared historical grievances – notably Nato’s 1999 bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade during the Kosovo War, which remains a sensitive issue in Sino-American relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Serbia in May 2024 on the anniversary of the bombings, describing relations between the two countries as an “ironclad friendship.” During that visit, Beijing and Belgrade signed agreements to deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership and to “build a community with a shared future.”

In recent years, China has invested billions of dollars in Serbia, financing infrastructure projects including highways, railways, factories and mines. Serbia’s integration into China’s Belt and Road Initiative has made it a key gateway for Chinese influence in Europe.

China is Serbia’s largest single-country foreign investor, with Chinese companies playing a leading role in sectors such as mining and manufacturing.

Notably, Serbian armed forces have also acquired Chinese military technology, including the FK-3 medium-range air defence missile system – often compared to the US Patriot system and Russia’s S-300 – and various unmanned aerial vehicles.

In February 2024, Serbia announced plans to further expand its Chinese drone fleet, building on previous acquisitions dating back to 2020.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has stressed the importance of strengthening military capabilities amid regional tensions following a trilateral defence pact signed in March by neighbouring Albania, Croatia and Kosovo. Vucic called the pact provocative and accused those countries of starting an “arms race” in the Balkans.

“The Serbian army will show what it has at the big parade,” Vucic said last month, referring to a planned military parade in Belgrade in mid-September that will display new weaponry and systems.

Despite its close ties with China and Russia, Serbia maintains military cooperation with the West, including with Nato. In June, Serbia conducted joint exercises with the United States and other Nato countries, underscoring Belgrade’s balancing act between East and West.