South Africa is preparing for joint naval exercises with Russia and China, scheduled for February 2023. Russian and Chinese naval officers were in South Africa in the first days of November for the main planning conference for the second tri-national naval exercise of China, Russia, and South Africa. The exercise will take place in February in KwaZulu-Natal province (presumably meaning that Naval Base Durban on Salisbury Island will host the exercise.) Russia will be in the lead. A final planning conference is scheduled for December. The first such tri-national exercise took place in November 2019, also in South African waters.