China will hold naval and air exercises with Russia, South Africa and other BRICS countries off South Africa's coast in early to mid January, China's defence ministry said in a statement released on Friday.
The ministry called the exercises, "joint operations to safeguard vital shipping lanes and economic activities." Strikes on maritime targets and counter-terrorism rescues will be part of the drills, it said.
Originally formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China, the BRICS group later added South Africa and recently expanded to include other developing nations including Indonesia, Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Chinese defence ministry did not specify how many BRICS nations will participate in the exercises.
China’s military has also conducted large-scale exercises around Taiwan, which Taipei and international observers view as part of a broader pressure campaign on the self-ruled island.
The drills, including rocket launches, heavy naval and air deployments and simulated strikes, were framed by Beijing as a “stern warning” against what it calls separatist forces and external interference, though Taiwan condemned them as destabilising for regional security.
The latest exercises, dubbed “Justice Mission 2025”, involved dozens of Chinese warplanes and warships encircling the island and prompted heightened alert by Taiwanese defence forces.
(Reporting by Xiuhao Chen and Ryan Woo; editing by Philippa Fletcher)