Poland has reopened its border with Belarus after a nearly two-week closure tied to the Zapad-2025 joint military exercises held by Russia and Belarus, with Beijing playing a quiet but crucial role in the decision.
Within the first few minutes of September 25, passenger vehicles resumed crossing at Terespol–Brest and trucks at Kukuryki–Kazlovichy, while freight rail reopened via Kuznica Bialostocka–Hrodna, Siemianowka–Svislach, and Terespol–Brest. The move followed an order by Polish Interior Minister Marcin Kierwinski that was announced by Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
The border was closed since 12 September with the aim of countering security risks and migration pressure.
Since 2021, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia have accused Belarus of weaponizing migration by luring people from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia with tourist visas and pushing them toward EU borders.
Warsaw has labeled this a hybrid operation by Aleksdandr Lukashenko’s regime in Belarus, backed by Moscow, to destabilize the EU. The strategy created a humanitarian crisis, with migrants trapped for weeks in border forests and dozens confirmed dead from exposure.
Data show irregular crossing attempts fell in early September, spiked during the Zapad drills to 687, and eased to 663 last week. Between September 20 and 23, 282 attempts were registered.
China’s Trade Route To The EU
China’s involvement in reopening the border is key. On September 16, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in Warsaw. Sikorski said Poland hoped Beijing would again help restrain “Belarusian provocations,” recalling how a 2024 meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Polish President Andrzej Duda coincided with a temporary drop in crossings.
Analysts say China’s priority is not political alignment but protecting trade flows. The Poland–Belarus frontier is a main artery of the Belt and Road Initiative, carrying goods from China to the EU. Disruption threatens delivery schedules and undermines Beijing’s claim that Eurasian rail is a reliable alternative to sea routes.
“China wants to avoid blame and keep goods moving,” Temur Umarov, a Carnegie Endowment fellow researcher, told RFE/RL. “Its focus is economic stability and showing that Belt and Road works.”
Whether Beijing’s behind-the-scenes diplomacy has worked will be tested soon: Only a sustained decline in migration numbers will confirm whether Minsk has eased pressure on the border under Chinese influence.
