China and Russia concluded a week of joint naval exercises in South African waters on Friday, which the host country described as Operation BRICS Plus aimed at “ensuring the security of shipping and maritime economic activities”. The drills sparked controversy as they coincided with deadly protests in Iran, which had originally planned to participate but pulled out after diplomatic talks. FRANCE 24’s Eunice Masson noted that the exercises also sparked debate over the absence of key BRICS countries such as India and Brazil.
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