Austin Bay On July 8, Reuters reported Belarus and China were conducting joint military exercises a few kilometers from the Belarus-Poland border. No one sane would associate the exercise’s code name, Falcon Assault, with peace-keeper training. Poland also borders Ukraine, which is due south of Belarus.

In February 2022, Russian tanks and mechanized infantry positioned in Belarus attacked Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Poland, however, is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO, the most successful military alliance in world history, turned 75 this year.

This week, Washington has hosted NATO’s annual summit. Which brings us back to Falcon Assault and Chinese forces maneuvering near a NATO border. If it’s meant to be a disruptive publicity stunt, it’s a stupid stunt.

Take it for what it is: a confident regime propagandist’s show of force on NATO’s eastern flank. In a mid-June speech, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, “China is the main supporter of Russia’s war efforts in Europe.” Stoltenberg has done the math.

China’s sanction-skirting appetite for Russian energy pumps Russia’s war treasury, purchasing North Korean artillery ammo, Iranian drones and mercenary infantry from Africa and Central Asia. Two decades (seven if you count Tibet) of misbehavior demonstrate Communist China has little regard for borders. Beijing’s air and naval forces routinely intrude on Taiwanese and Japanese air and sea space.

Chinese naval paramilitary .