China-Belarus Divine Eagle-2026 Airborne Exercise Opens in Hubei
The China-Belarus “Divine Eagle-2026” airborne joint training exercise officially opened on August 12 at a Chinese Air Force training center in Hubei Province, central China, marking the fourth iteration of the series between the two countries’ elite airborne forces. The 14-day exercise, running from August 11 to 24, focuses on joint urban counter-terrorism operations and includes reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance, seizure and defense, and clearance and consolidation drills, according to Xinhua News Agency.
A Deepening Defense Partnership
The exercise was first announced by Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Senior Colonel Chen Xi at a regular press conference on August 7. Chen stated that the training aims to “further enhance the combat capability of participating units and deepen practical cooperation between the two militaries,” as reported by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense.
The Belarusian Ministry of Defense confirmed the exercise details, noting that it will take place at a training range of the Airborne Troops of the People’s Liberation Army in Hubei Province. The Belarusian contingent consists of personnel from the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus.
Training Activities and Scope
According to the Belarusian Ministry of Defense, the exercise is focused on a joint tactical operation in an urban environment. Service personnel will conduct parachute jumps, operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and counter drones, practice the joint assembly of UAVs, conduct various types of live-fire training, and employ urban and industrial mountaineering techniques.
The exercise will be conducted in several stages: arrival of contingents and weapons zeroing, individual training and coordination of squads and groups, coordination of the combined unit, and execution of tasks by joint combined groups formed from Belarusian and Chinese service personnel. In addition to tactical drills, the two sides will organize special topic seminars, football friendship matches, and cultural exchanges during the training period.
The Belarusian contingent traveled approximately 7,500 kilometers from Minsk to China via Novosibirsk and Vladivostok, with intermediate stops for refueling. The estimated travel time was 23-24 hours, as Militarnyi reported.
Fifteen Years of Institutionalized Cooperation
The “Divine Eagle” series began in 2011, with the second iteration held in Hubei in 2012. The series has maintained a roughly two-year cadence, continuing through the global pandemic and major geopolitical shifts. In July 2024, the “Eagle Assault-2024” army joint training was held in Brest, Belarus, near the Polish border, marking the first joint training after Belarus joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
This continuity demonstrates that China-Belarus military cooperation is institutionalized and long-term rather than a series of one-off political gestures. The alternating training locations between the two countries reflect a significant level of mutual trust between the two militaries.
Geopolitical Context
The exercise takes place against a backdrop of heightened tensions in Eastern Europe. Belarus is surrounded by NATO member states—Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia—to its west and north. Poland is pursuing its largest military expansion since the Cold War, Lithuania has reinstated conscription, and Latvia has more than doubled its defense budget. Germany has also committed to permanently stationing a full brigade in Lithuania, its first permanent overseas deployment since World War II.
Belarus maintains an “all-weather comprehensive strategic partnership” with China, and President Alexander Lukashenko visited Beijing in June 2026, first stopping in Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has further heightened tensions along Belarus’s borders, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly stating in June 2026 that military infrastructure on the Belarus-Ukraine border was nearly complete.
Strategic Significance
The “Divine Eagle-2026” exercise sends multiple signals. For Belarus, surrounded by NATO members and facing a tightening military encirclement, the exercise represents a diversification of security options beyond its traditional reliance on Russia. The exercise signals that Belarus’s military cooperation network is expanding, adding a new variable to NATO’s strategic calculations in Eastern Europe.
For China, the exercise demonstrates a growing military footprint in European security dynamics. The official framing of the exercise as “joint urban counter-terrorism operations” provides diplomatic cover while the actual training activities—reconnaissance, seizure and defense, clearance and consolidation—encompass standard urban warfare skills.
The exercise also provides an opportunity for Belarusian forces, which use Soviet-era equipment and doctrine, to observe China’s modernized airborne capabilities. China’s airborne troops have evolved from parachute-centric operations to combined parachute and air-assault operations with heavy equipment delivery capabilities.
What to Watch For
The exercise is scheduled to conclude on August 24. Observers will be watching for any public statements from either side about the outcomes and lessons learned. The continuation of the “Divine Eagle” series into its 15th year suggests that China-Belarus military cooperation will remain a fixture of the regional security landscape, with implications for NATO’s strategic planning in Eastern Europe and China’s expanding global military engagement.