MINSK, August 17. /TASS/. The next round of joint Chinese-Belarusian military maneuvers are planned for 2024, the Telegram channel Pool One, which is close to the Belarusian presidential press service, reported.

"[Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko] is holding a meeting [in Minsk] with Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu. Briefly concerning the current interaction [between Belarus and China on military matters]: there is a regular exchange of delegations, representatives of the armed forces of Belarus and China are undergoing training at both countries’ military educational institutions, and joint military exercises and training are being held in both Belarus and China. The next maneuvers are planned for 2024," the statement said.

Military cooperation between Belarus and China is carried out under a May 2010 agreement between the two countries’ defense ministries. Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the ministries had organized high-level expert visits and exchanges, and conducted training of personnel from the Belarusian armed forces and China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) in both countries’ military educational institutions, as well as joint training. Belarusian and Chinese servicemen also participated in competitions as part of the International Army Games. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, bilateral military cooperation activities were suspended. In April 2023, at a meeting in Minsk between representatives of the Belarusian Defense Ministry and the Chinese embassy’s defense attache, Colonel General Liu Zhan, the parties discussed the options for re-activating bilateral military cooperation in light of the end of the pandemic.