China makes Belarus a priority

By Aussiegirl

In a whiz-bang on-target article in today's
The American Thinker, Frederick W. Stakelbeck, Jr. makes some fascinating points regarding the curious case of an emerging China-Belarus connection. China continues to strategically position itself worldwide, placing its chess pieces in position for a possible eventual checkmate against the United States. Don't miss this one:

But with concern mounting in the West regarding the Lukashenka government, far too little attention has been given to another area of immediate concern, namely, Belarus' growing bilateral ties with China. Public statements coming out of Minsk make it clear that the Lukashenka government has identified China, along with steady ally Russia, as a key player in its foreign policy strategy moving forward.

Like Russia, China could become the perfect collaborator for Belarus, offering the country an array of attractive economic and military incentives to sustain what has become Europe's harshest regime. But what does Belarus offer China? Moreover, why would China seek an economic and military alliance with a European country of minimal size and influence?

In an interview with Chinese daily Xinhua in May, Belarus Foreign Minister Sergei Martynov noted, "Promoting relations with China is a diplomatic priority." Since first establishing relations in 1992, both countries have gone to great lengths to increase bilateral cooperation and have demonstrated an increasing willingness to support each other in various international forums concerning issues of mutual interest and importance.

. . . Recent contact between the two countries has become intense, focused primarily on the improvement of military and intelligence synergies.

In April, Belarus and China signed a joint "Declaration for the 21st Century" document agreeing to cooperate in the fields of trade, economy, science, technology, military affairs and culture. In May, Wu Guansheng, a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met with Tozik Anatoly Afanasievich, president of the State Control Commission of Belarus, to discuss the exchange of ideas concerning the "supervision of government."

Also in May, Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan met with Belarus Defense Minister Leonid Semeonovich Maltsev. During their meeting, Gangchuan stated that his country's armed forces were ready for increased cooperation with the Belarus army. Masltsev concurred, noting that Belarus was also looking
to deepen the current military relationship.

Visiting Beijing in early June, Maltsev announced both countries had signed documents agreeing to allow Chinese military personnel to train in Minsk, while joint projects on munitions and military hardware were also signed.

Why Belarus?

Over the past decade, China has taken deliberate steps to advance relations with countries possessing both the natural resources to propel its economy and the global influence to support its ascension in the international community. For example, energy contracts with Iran, Sudan and Venezuela; mineral and oil sands extraction contracts with U.S. neighbor Canada; intelligence and military cooperation with Cuba; seaport agreements with Panama and mining contracts with South Africa have all furthered China's regional and global strategic goals.

. . . Belarus does possess one important asset that China desperately seeks - a location in the heart of Europe. With a border that includes Russia on the east, Ukraine in the south, Poland in the west, Lithuania in the northwest, and Latvia in the north, Belarus offers China the perfect European incubator for government sponsored activities that include spying, espionage and intelligence gathering.

In essence, Belarus could become a "virtual beehive" of Chinese sponsored covert activity. Such activities are already hallmarks of Chinese foreign policy in countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany and the U.S. With Belarus as a strong European ally in an undeclared war against U.S. global influence, covert activities could take hold across continental Europe, eventually giving China access to confidential information and technology necessary to modernize many of its more clandestine domestic industries.

If permitted to take root, this would immediately compromise the already fragile U.S. backed arms embargo against China, placing Europe's fledgling democracies and U.S. national security in almost certain jeopardy.

. . . Speaking at a Singapore conference organized by the London-based International Institute of Strategic Studies last month, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld openly questioned China's continued military buildup, "Since no nation threatens China, one must wonder: Why this growing investment? Why these continuing arms purchases?"

Perhaps it is time to pose the same question to China concerning its relations with Belarus. Why the growing investment in military relations? Why the interest in holding joint military training exercises?

. . . China is fully committed to the development of strategic assets and governmental relations with countries located at key points throughout the world in order to accumulate power and influence. With its power and influence growing in places like Panama, Cuba, Sudan, Venezuela and Canada, China is positioning itself against the U.S. Belarus is just another strategic piece in the puzzle.

If the Belarus-China bilateral relationship is permitted to flourish and mature, it could seriously threaten U.S. sponsored efforts at global democratization. Even worse, it could mark the implementation of a larger plan by Beijing to destabilize and fracture the European community.