China to lead joint naval drills with Brics nations in South African waters

China will lead a joint naval exercise with Brics nations in South African waters next week – the bloc’s first such defence cooperation that is likely to raise alarm bells in Washington.

The South African National Defence Force on Wednesday said the exercise – dubbed Will for Peace 2026 – would bring together “navies from Brics Plus countries for an intensive programme of joint maritime safety operations, interoperability drills and maritime protection serials” from January 9 to 16.

It said China would lead the exercise but did not specify which other countries would attend. Media reports have named Russia and Iran as participants, with Indonesia and Ethiopia also likely to take part.

According to South Africa’s defence ministry, the joint exercise “reflects the collective commitment of all participating navies to safeguard maritime trade routes, enhance shared operational procedures and deepen cooperation in support of peaceful maritime security initiatives”.

The joint drills were previously known as Exercise Mosi and held by China, South Africa and Russia in 2019 and 2023. The latest exercise was originally planned for November 2025 but postponed to avoid clashing with the Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg.

Xi issues rallying call against protectionism in Brics speech

Brics – originally comprising the emerging economies of Brazil, China, Russia, India and South Africa – expanded from 2023 to include Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

South China Morning Post