Multinational Naval Exercise in South Africa: Beijing’s Ambitions and russia’s Limited Role

From January 9 to 16, 2026, “Will for Peace 2026”  multinational naval exercise is planned in the territorial waters of the Republic of South Africa. The event has been officially confirmed by the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) Joint Operations Command, which has announced that China will play a key role in planning and conducting the maneuvers.

The stated goal of the exercise is to practice joint actions to ensure maritime security, improve coordination between units, and carry out maritime patrol tasks. The event is positioned as an interagency and multinational exercise involving BRICS+ countries.

The participation of the Chinese Navy has been confirmed, which is sending a Type 052DL missile destroyer “Tangshan”,  a Type 054A frigate “Zhizhao”,  and a Type 903A support ship “Taihu”.  The rf has also announced its participation with a “Steregushchy”-class corvette equipped with a Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopter, accompanied by a Project 160 “Elnya” tanker, as well as Iran, represented by ships from the 103rd  and 104th  flotillas. India and Brazil refused  to participate in the exercise.

Chinese state media present “Will to Peace 2026”  as an example of a new model of security cooperation among countries of the Global South, focusing on non-military threats, particularly piracy and terrorism, as well as on the principles of non-interference and non-targeting of third parties. In a broader context, the exercise reflects Beijing’s desire to strengthen its role in the security sphere without formally creating a military-political bloc.

For russia, participation in the exercise is purely demonstrative and aimed at showing that it maintains a naval presence outside its traditional areas of responsibility. At the same time, this format does not change either the limited operational capabilities of the rf or its actual lack of influence on the security situation outside its own region.