China and Serbia will conduct their first joint military exercise later this month in northern China’s Hebei province.
Specific details about the training have not been disclosed, but Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, said the “Peace Defenders-2025” exercise is designed to “strengthen the combat capabilities of participating troops and deepen cooperation between the two militaries.”
This will be China’s first combat-oriented military exercise with a European Union candidate nation. Previous China-Europe drills focused primarily on humanitarian efforts, such as medical support training with Germany in 2019 and anti-terrorism exercises with Belarus in 2024.
Since signing a comprehensive strategic partnership with China in 2016, Serbia has purchased Chinese-made CH-92A and CH-95 drones, along with the FK-3 air defense system, an export variant of China’s HQ-22 that is comparable to the U.S. Patriot and Russia’s S-300 systems.
In 2022, Serbia received the FK-3 system via 12 Chinese Y-20 transport aircraft, in what was reportedly China’s largest military airlift to Europe. By January 2025, Serbian forces had completed training to independently operate and maintain the system.
China’s military cooperation aligns with its expanding economic footprint in Serbia. Beijing has invested billions of dollars in infrastructure projects, including the Belgrade-Budapest railway, as well as mining and manufacturing ventures.
