France, Jan. 9 -- The Mosi-3 exercise will run for a week off the coast of Cape Town, under Chinese leadership, with South Africa acting as host.

In a statement, the South African Navy said the manoeuvres would involve vessels from Brics+, a grouping that has recently expanded to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates.

In reality, however, the exercise is largely a coming-together of China, Russia and Iran.

Tellingly, the Mosi drills -a multinational naval exercise hosted by South Africaevery two years- were rebranded at the last minute as "Will for Peace". According to the South African National Defence Force, the chosen theme is "joint actions to ensure the safety of shipping and maritime economic activities"...