On January 9, 2026, the Chinese Navy's 052DL-class destroyer "Tangshan" and the comprehensive supply ship "Taihu" arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, officially opening the first joint naval exercise of the BRICS countries, "Peace Will-2026."
The exercise was held from January 9 to 16 near Simonstown, South Africa. The confirmed participating countries include China, South Africa, Russia, and Iran. China dispatched the 052DL-class destroyer "Tangshan" (122) and the Type 903A supply ship "Taihu" (889); Russia sent a frigate and auxiliary oiler, while Iran deployed the Marklan-class forward base ship and other vessels. Indonesia and Ethiopia may participate, but no official final confirmation has been received yet.
This exercise is the first defense cooperation organized under the BRICS framework, marking the mechanism's transition from an economic alliance to a "dual focus on economy and security." Previously, BRICS cooperation focused mainly on trade and finance. This action is seen as a crucial step in building a "collective security barrier," responding to the current situation where global trade routes are frequently disrupted by political interference (such as the Red Sea channel crisis and incidents of merchant ship detentions).
China's navy was designated as the core command by South Africa, due to its mature experience in long-range coordination:
The 052D-class destroyers are equipped with the improved 346A phased array radar, capable of tracking hundreds of targets simultaneously, with a detection range exceeding 400 kilometers. It has verified multi-national command capabilities in the Gulf of Aden escort missions and Sino-Russian joint exercises;
The multilingual command system accumulated from the Gulf of Aden mission can efficiently integrate the differentiated equipment of countries such as Russia and Iran.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853993631597568/
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