Geopolitical Chessboard: China, BRICS, and Africa’s Strategic Role

In early 2026, South African waters became an unexpected focal point of global geopolitics when navies from China, Russia, South Africa and other BRICS Plus members gathered for a week of joint drills dubbed “Exercise WILL FOR PEACE 2026.” Hosted off the Cape of Good Hope, the exercises – framed by participating governments as routine maritime security cooperation – have stirred controversy at home and abroad, revealing the deepening role of BRICS in military engagement and Africa’s complex place in a multipolar world.

Originally conceived as an economic cooperation bloc, BRICS – a grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – has expanded its strategic ambitions in recent years, broadening into military cooperation and broader geopolitical coordination. The January naval drills brought together warships from China, Russia, and South Africa, with others participating under the BRICS Plus framework that now includes Egypt, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates.