What is Known About the South Africa–Russia–China Naval Drills Set to Kick Off Today?

The naval exercises that are starting on Friday are a follow-up to the first drills of the kind. In 2019, the three countries held joint exercises near Cape Town, South Africa. In an earlier interview with Sputnik, South Africa's Ambassador to Moscow expressed hope that joint naval drills in such a format would be continued on an annual basis.

The South Africa–Russia–China joint naval drills, held under the name "Mosi" (which means "smoke" in the southern African Tswana language), will take place from February 17 to 27 near the shore of KwaZulu-Natal province in eastern South Africa.

The area designated for the exercises to take place is between the port city of Durban, the location of the main South African naval base on the Indian Ocean, and Richards Bay. The distance between them is around 87 nautical miles (160 km).

The drills will coincide with South Africa's Armed Forces Day celebration, which is scheduled to take place at uMhlathuze Municipality in Richards Bay on February 21.

Participants

According to the South African military, more than 350 of the country's troops from various branches and units will participate in the exercise, which will share operational skills and knowledge with their Russian and Chinese counterparts. The exercise will focus on maritime cooperation, anti-piracy and an improved joint response to natural disasters.

According to reports, on South Africa's part, one frigate and two auxiliary ships will take part in the drills; a destroyer, a frigate and an auxiliary ship will represent China's People's Liberation Army Navy.

Russia is represented by the Northern Fleet ships unit consisting of a medium tanker, the Kama, and a frigate, the Admiral Gorshkov, which is on its first long-distance voyage; it is equipped with the 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile system. As the commander of the ship, Captain 1st Rank Igor Krokhmal, noted, in addition to the Zircons, the frigate is armed with Caliber cruise missiles.

The two vessels practiced a variety of shipboard tasks during their voyage. On January 31, in the central part of the Atlantic, the crew of the Kama received a distress call from a yacht, from which Russian sailors eventually rescued French resident Lucas Monteux and his dog. On February 10, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Monteux would disembark in Cape Town, the nearest port along the route of the Northern Fleet ships.

Recently, the Admiral Gorshkov arrived in Cape Town; it left the city on Wednesday for joint maneuvers.

In the West's Spotlight

Preparations for the exercise were met with criticism from the US. David Feldman, a representative of the US Embassy in South Africa, said that the United States was concerned about South Africa's plans to hold joint naval exercises with Russia and China. In turn, South African Defense Minister Thandi Modise said that the United States is putting pressure on African countries that maintain relations with Russia.

Responding to the US reaction, Naledi Pandor, head of the South African foreign ministry, underlined the importance of the exercises for her country, saying that the drills are conducted for the South African military to be able to respond to a range of situations, including disaster management.

"These are all part of exercises we undertake […] to be able to respond to a range of situations, including disaster management, which our military often plays a role in addressing. So, I just think it’s important that we regard all countries as sovereign nations and not stop doing so when it suits us," she stressed.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that he could not understand why Russia, China and South Africa's joint exercises could cause a "mixed reaction", since US exercises off the coast of China, for instance, do not raise questions from anyone.

"US colleagues believe that only they can conduct exercises around the world. Now they are actively engaged in naval exercises within the framework of the Indo-Pacific strategies around China, in the South China Sea, in the Taiwan Strait, and this does not cause any mixed reaction from anyone," he noted.

Su Hao, founding director of the Center for Strategic and Peace Studies at China Foreign Affairs University, told Sputnik that the joint exercises of South Africa, Russia and China have caused concern in the United States because it is afraid of losing control in the Indian Ocean. According to him, Washington considers any close cooperation with China in the territories of the Belt and Road Initiative and especially along the Maritime Silk Road a threat.

South Africa, Russia and China are part of the BRICS block, which also includes Brazil and India. The organization is a group of the world's major developing countries, which together account for around 27% of the Earth's land, more than 41% of the planet's population and more than 26% of the global GDP.

South Africa is the BRICS' 2023 chair and will host all of the organization's events, including the summit, which will take place in Durban in late August.

According to experts, as part of BRICS, South Africa acts as an example for the countries of the continent wishing to "form a new alliance to break away from Western dominance."