A formidable naval armada from China, Russia, and Iran has docked at South Africa’s Simon’s Town base, heralding the start of ‘Will for Peace 2026’—a landmark BRICS Plus exercise under Chinese command. From Saturday through January 16, participating navies will hone skills to protect vital shipping arteries and economic flows.
The BRICS Plus collective—core quintet Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, augmented by Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, UAE—seeks to bolster collective clout against Western financial sway.
This unfolds against Trump’s broadsides, branding BRICS foes and slapping tariff threats. Strains with China, Iran, Brazil, and South Africa mount, yet Lt. Col. Mpho Mathebula of South Africa stresses: ‘Purely a professional naval drill for capability uplift—no political agenda.’ U.S. joint exercises were invoked for context.
Observers from Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia graced the kickoff. Official readout: It merges BRICS Plus navies for maritime safety and tactical drills.
Fleet highlights include China’s destroyer CNS Tangshan (122), replenisher CNS Taihu (889), Iran’s expeditionary Iris Makran (441), and South Africa’s SAS Amatola (F145). Photos from the National Defence Force went viral.
Coalition critics assail it as neutrality’s demise, pegging South Africa as BRICS proxy. Mathebula parried, centering operational benefits.
These waterside wargames illuminate BRICS Plus’s maritime pivot, fortifying trade defenses amid superpower clashes. As drills progress, they herald a multipolar naval order, with implications rippling far beyond Africa’s shores.