Warsaw, September 19, 2025 (Agencies): Poland has shut its border with Belarus, effectively halting a major rail freight corridor linking China and the European Union, in what officials described as a response to large-scale Russian–Belarusian military exercises held near its frontier.
According to Politico, the closure is disrupting an estimated €25 billion worth of annual trade between China and the EU. The affected route carries a significant volume of goods, including medicine, food, and other time-sensitive cargo, all of which are now blocked from entering the EU.
Warsaw justified the move by citing the Zapad-2025 drills, a series of joint Russian–Belarusian military exercises conducted on September 12–16. Polish officials characterized the maneuvers as “very aggressive” and dangerously close to their border. Moscow insisted that the drills were defensive, aimed at simulating repulsion of potential attacks, drawing lessons from the Ukraine conflict.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi traveled to Warsaw earlier this week in an attempt to persuade Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to reopen the route, but the talks ended without progress. “The logic of trade is being replaced by the logic of security,” Sikorski said, according to Polish foreign ministry spokesman Pawel Wronski. Warsaw also claimed that Beijing did not issue direct demands to resume cargo transit.
The blockade comes amid broader strains in EU–China relations, including disputes over tariffs, subsidies, and security concerns. The European Commission said it is closely monitoring the situation but added that “it’s too early to go into further detail” on potential economic fallout.
Piotr Krawczyk, former head of Poland’s Foreign Intelligence Agency, suggested that the United States may be quietly encouraging Warsaw’s hard line. “I am quite sure Washington is more than happy to see the routes closed – at least temporarily,” he said, adding that the move aligns with US pressure on Brussels to impose additional tariffs on China over its purchases of Russian energy.
Analysts warn that a prolonged blockade could severely disrupt supply chains between Asia and Europe, threatening Beijing’s flagship Belt and Road connectivity projects and putting further strain on already fragile global trade networks.