South Africa plans to hold a joint exercise, Operation Mosi, off South Africa’s east coast with the naval forces of Russia and China in February.
Tensions with the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have been rising as a result of South Africa’s unwillingness to criticize Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its acceptance of sanctioned Russian vessels in its ports. South Africa’s major trading partners are the United States, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
The Democratic Alliance (DA), which is South Africa’s main opposition party, has questioned why the government wants to go ahead with the drills.
According to TASS, the naval drills will involve gunnery practice, force protection, and air defense operations.
