By Sun Gangzheng and Du Jiangfan

The guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (Hull 122) docks at the Port of Simon's Town, South Africa. (Photo by Du Jiangfan)

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Jan. 12 -- On the morning of January 10, local time, the joint maritime exercise codenamed "Will for Peace 2026" kicked off at the Port of Simon's Town in Cape Town, South Africa, with participation from BRICS member states including China, Russia, and South Africa.

The joint maritime exercise is set under the theme of "Joint Actions to Ensure the Safety of Key Shipping Lanes and Maritime Economic Activities". Selected from the 48th Chinese naval escort taskforce, the Chinese participating force includes guided-missile destroyer Tangshan (Hull 122) and comprehensive supply ship Taihu (Hull 889), as well as a ship-borne helicopter and several dozens of special operations troops.

The exercise, scheduled from January 9 to 16 in the waters and airspace off Simon's Town, consists of two main phases. The port and shore operations phase(from January 9 to 12) includes the opening ceremony, ship tours, cultural and sports events, and professional exchanges. This will be followed by the sea phase (from January 13 to 15), during which the participating vessels will conduct drills on communication, formation maneuver, maritime strike, hijacked vessel rescue, helicopter-borne patient transfer and treatment, and other subjects. The exercise will conclude with a closing ceremony on January 16, 2026.

The exercise aims to further deepen military exchanges and cooperation among participating nations, enhance their collective capacity to address maritime threats, and contribute to jointly safeguarding regional peace and stability and building a community with a shared future for humanity and a maritime community with a shared future.