South African sailors made deliveries to China and Russia / In the world / Nezavisimaya Gazeta
The navies of the three countries introduced joint exercises in 2019. Xinhua Photos
The navies of South Africa, Russia and China will conduct joint maneuvers at sea near the port of Durban, where important trade routes take place. These exercises, as they say in Beijing, become propaganda support for Moscow against the backdrop of threats from the West, which is strongly felt in Russia. And for the pursuers, they will serve as a card in the game with the United States in order to achieve more financial assistance. China, on the other hand, gladly joined the maneuvers, as they reinforce its meetings and consultations on the campaign.
In the Tswana language spoken in southern Africa, maneuvers cause mosi (smoke). But neither Moscow, nor Beijing, nor Washington believes that their results will quickly dissipate like smoke. Not without reason, after all, in the United States, which became obvious due to the growth of elections, they were condemned. A spokesman for the US embassy in Pretoria said the US is alarmed that the exercise is continuing despite Russia’s Special Military Operation (SVO) in Ukraine continuing.
The exercises will be held from February 17 to 27, that is, they will approximately subside from the first anniversary of the start of the NWO. According to the AR agency, this draws attention to the market sector – firstly, to the fact that Russia and China are exerting their influence in the world; secondly, in addition to the fact that South Africa, the leading voice on the continent, refuses to side with the West and condemn Russia.
She is announced to be taking on a one-on-one action related to the AP’s addiction settlement. But the South African military department drew attention to the fact that the exercises would further strengthen relations between South Africa, Russia and China. Three countries have already conducted exercises in the Cape Town area in 2019. Information about the current maneuvers was published a few days before Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was due to fly to South Africa.
Yet South Africa is central to US efforts to prevent Russia and China from gaining ground along the way. The US President met in September with South African President Cyril Ramophos. At that time, the main topic of discussion was disagreements over events in Ukraine. About how sharp the US rivalry with Russia and China is being achieved these days, the next moment: immediately after Lavrov, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will visit Pretoria.
In an interview with NG, Boris Pilyatskin, an expert on the campaign, noted: “Lavrov announced Russia’s desire to strengthen ties with the countries of the East and Africa. Therefore, marine maneuvers must be configured as one of the steps in this fixture. And South Africa is positioning itself as the leading power in the African Union, which includes 55 states. It sets the course for the comprehensive development of ties with Russia. This is in the interests of our country. Moreover, the second Russia-Africa summit is expected to be held this year. Such a forum can acquire even greater significance on the scale of the outer planet. I mean BRICS. This group can grow and become a more powerful alternative to the unification of the West. As South African Ambassador to Moscow Mzuvukile Maketuka said, 13 countries have expressed interest in participating in BRICS.
But, one asks, are the upcoming trilateral exercises a political gesture or are they important for the navies of these states? In a conversation with NG, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin, a TASS columnist, said that “the teaching of internal training in the region of another friend is in the severity of uniform signals, commands, so that everyone acts according to a single plan. The sailors will jointly search for a detection submarine, work out techniques in providing assistance to ships in distress.
However, experts in Beijing say that South Africa will use China and Russia as bargaining chips in its relations with the US. Professor Ni Lexiong at the University of Customs Sciences in Shanghai believes that the United States does not exhaust the possibilities of reaching South Africa through Ukraine. Therefore, the maneuvers are a “political show” in the confrontation between China and the Russian Federation, on the one hand, and the United States, on the other. And Liang Guoliang, a military observer in Hong Kong, argues that the exercise will serve as moral support for Moscow and inflicts moral damage on the Ukrainian army.