AdvertisementChinas military drillsChinaMilitaryChina and Serbia gear up for first joint military training exerciseSpecial forces from both countries will take part in the Peace Defenders-2025 drill, cementing ties between armed personnelReading Time:2 minutesWhy you can trust SCMP5Yuanyue DanginBeijingPublished:6:55pm, 14 Jul 2025China will hold its first joint military training exercise with the Serbian military this month as defence ties deepen between Beijing and the Balkan country.AdvertisementChinese defence ministry spokesman Jiang Bin said on Monday that army special forces from China andSerbiawould hold the joint training exercise Peace Defenders-2025 in Hebei in late July.This will be the first joint training between the Chinese and Serbian militaries. It will help strengthen the combat skills of participating troops and deepen cooperation between the two militaries, Jiang said.Similar joint exercises are usually hosted on a rotating basis, but neither side has said whether Serbia will host such a drill in the future.This will also be the first time for China to conduct exercises with European forces since it held joint counterterrorism training with Belarus near the border with Poland and Ukraine last July.AdvertisementSerbia is considered one of Chinas closest partners in Europe, particularly since Natos 1999 bombing of the former Yugoslavia, of which Serbia was a part.It is one of six Western Balkan countries waiting to join the European Union, but it has no plans to join Nato.Advertisement