{"id":410,"date":"2026-01-10T20:20:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/?p=410"},"modified":"2026-01-10T20:20:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T14:50:06","slug":"chinese-led-will-for-peace-2026-naval-drills-get-under-way-off-cape-town","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/chinese-led-will-for-peace-2026-naval-drills-get-under-way-off-cape-town\/410\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese-led \u201cWill for Peace 2026\u201d naval drills get under way off Cape Town!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chinese, Russian, and Iranian warships have steamed into South African waters for a week-long naval exercise called Will for Peace 2026, a show of force and cooperation among an expanding circle of BRICS+ partners. The drills, which opened on Saturday, January 10, were billed as a bid to bolster maritime security and interoperability in a part of the world that sits astride some of the planet\u2019s busiest shipping lanes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Participants and key Vessels for this naval exercise:<\/h3>\n

Participants include ships and personnel from China, Russia, Iran, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates, with potential involvement from other BRICS+ nations, such as Brazil, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia. India is notably absent, having opted out for strategic reasons. Key vessels on show include China\u2019s PLAN destroyer CNS Tangshan, frigate Daqing, and oiler Taihu; Russia\u2019s corvette RFS Stoikiy and oiler Yelnya; Iran\u2019s expeditionary sea bases Makran and Shahid Mahdavi plus corvette Naghdi; South Africa\u2019s frigate SAS Amatola; and the UAE corvette Bani Yas.<\/span>
\nThe programme centres on joint maritime-safety drills, counter\u2011terrorism rescue scenarios, simulated strikes on maritime targets, and interoperability exercises, alongside professional exchanges and ship visits under the banner \u201cJoint Actions to Ensure the Safety of Shipping and Maritime Economic Activities.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Exercise objectives and activities:<\/span><\/h3>\n

The exercise runs from 9\u2013January 16, 2026, after the participating vessels arrive on January 9. The event was originally slated for November 2025 under the name \u201cMosi III\u201d but was pushed back because of a clash with the G20 summit in Johannesburg.<\/span>
\nSimon\u2019s Town Naval Base, on the Cape Peninsula where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet, is the hub, with operations extending into the surrounding waters, including False Bay.<\/span>
\nOfficials say the aim is to swap best practices, sharpen joint operational skills, and contribute to regional maritime stability amid growing threats to trade routes. South African Deputy Defence Minister Bantu Holomisa stressed that the drills were non\u2011hostile and were planned well before recent crises, arguing that Washington\u2019s problems with some participating states do not dictate Pretoria\u2019s foreign policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Indian Stance and International Reactions:<\/h3>\n

New Delhi\u2019s decision to sit this one out is described as a political choice. Despite recent diplomatic thawing, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi\u2019s attendance at the SCO summit in China and closer economic ties, lingering border tensions along the Line of Actual Control mean India remains wary of defence engagements until a fuller political settlement is reached. The absence underlines New Delhi\u2019s careful balancing act within BRICS: it wants the benefits of multilateral engagement without compromising its sovereignty or strategic autonomy. Domestic and international reactions.<\/span><\/p>\n

China\u2019s Pivotal Role in the Drills:<\/h3>\n

China has taken the lead in \u201cWill for Peace\u201d 2026, sending a large detachment from its 48th Naval Escort Task Force, normally used for anti\u2011piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden. The move highlights Beijing\u2019s growing role in African maritime affairs and its push for closer military ties within BRICS+. By running the drills, China is showing it can help protect vital sea lanes off Africa\u2019s southern tip, though critics\u00a0 including South Africa\u2019s Democratic Alliance worry the large\u2011scale exercises could be aimed at signalling strength over Taiwan.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The United States, which has been watching BRICS activities closely under the current administration for many observers, the flotilla is a reminder that the world is tilting towards a more multipolar order and that alliances are being tested and remade at sea as well as on land.
\nAt face value, Will for Peace 2026 is about seamanship, search and rescue, and keeping shipping moving. However, beneath the surface, it is also a diplomatic signal ,a way for participating states to show that they can act together when it suits them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chinese, Russian, and Iranian warships have steamed into South African waters for a week-long naval exercise called Will for Peace\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":443,"featured_media":416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,52],"tags":[57,320],"class_list":["post-410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-china","category-trade-relations","tag-brics","tag-g20"],"reading_time":"4 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/443"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=410"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":417,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/410\/revisions\/417"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/trade-policy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}