Yemen’s Houthi terrorists have launched multiple attacks on civilian cargo ships in the Red Sea and have threatened the global trade route, leading to recent U.S.-led strikes against the group. Amid the conflict, the ambiguous stance of the Chinese regime has come into question.
At a press conference on Jan. 12, when asked whether China supported the U.S.-led strikes against the Houthis, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said that China was “concerned” about the escalation of tensions in the Red Sea and called on all sides to “exercise restraint” to avoid a widening of the conflict.
On Jan. 3, more than a dozen countries, including the United States, issued a joint statement urging the Houthis to immediately stop attacks in the Red Sea, but China did not join the statement condemning the Houthis.
When questioned by a reporter the next day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China has “consistently advocated” for maintaining the safety of international waterways and opposes attacks on civilian vessels. He added that all parties should play a “constructive role” in this regard.
Targeting Civilian Vessels
The Houthis in Yemen are a Shia Islamist anti-government militia and an ally of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. On Jan. 17, the U.S. Department of State designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization.Since the brutal terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas on Oct. 7 last year, the Houthis have launched a series of attacks against Israel, claiming to target all Red Sea vessels linked to Israeli interests.
Since mid-November 2023, the Houthis have attacked dozens of civilian cargo ships in the Red Sea. Many ships with no connections to Israel have also been targeted.
The Red Sea is an essential route to and from the Suez Canal. As a major shipping route between Europe and Asia, the Suez Canal carries 12 percent of the world’s trade. Around 30 percent of all container traffic passes through it, with an annual cargo value of more than $1 trillion. In terms of energy, 12 percent of oil and 8 percent of liquefied natural gas are transported through the Suez Canal. Any trade disruptions and delays could have a significant effect on the entire global economy.
In the wake of the attacks, global shipping giants have announced the suspension of Red Sea shipping, opting instead for a detour via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa. These companies include Switzerland’s MSC, Denmark’s Maersk, France’s CMA CGM, China’s COSCO, Germany’s Hapag-Lloyd, and Taiwan’s Evergreen.
Circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope would mean an increase of at least 3,300 nautical miles and about 10 extra days of sailing time each way. The additional costs for each ship could exceed millions of dollars. Even for ships that do not opt for a detour and continue passing through the Red Sea, their insurance premiums have surged, nearly tenfold.
China’s Stance
The Chinese regime not only refrains from condemning the Houthi attacks but also benefits from them.Among the dozens of Red Sea cargo ships attacked by the Houthis, it was noted that there appeared to be no Chinese ships. There were also several shipowners from other countries who hoped to avoid the attacks by showing that they had ties to China.
On Jan. 11, Bloomberg revealed that at least five ships that recently crossed the Red Sea labeled their destinations with information such as “all Chinese crew” in their public profiles. The five ships eventually made it through the Red Sea without being attacked. The report was widely republished in China.
The Houthis are backed by Iran, which is the main provider of intelligence, especially information on ships in the Red Sea, and weapons. Iran is considered an ally of the Chinese regime.
Xiao Yunhua, a professor at China’s People’s Liberation Army National Defense University, said in a video posted on the Chinese version of TikTok in late December last year that the Houthis had “inadvertently brought China a great deal of benefits.” He explained that the blockade of the shipping lanes could boost land trade and the use of railroads, built by China, between China and Europe.
“The Houthis have indirectly contributed to the shift from maritime to land transportation, undermining the United States’ influence and control of maritime routes and therefore promoting Beijing’s global strategy,” Mr. Xiao said.
The price of containers, monopolized by the Chinese regime, is also expected to rise, a development already hinted at by Chinese state media. This anticipated rise is due to the increase in sailing time, which leads to a decrease in container turnover. As more containers are tied up at sea, fewer are available in ports.
According to the 2022 report by the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission, over 95 percent of the world’s sea containers are produced by Chinese manufacturers. Therefore, a shortage of containers would lead not only to a price increase but also to a situation where any party seeking assistance from China would find themselves constrained by the Chinese regime.
China also appears to be implicated in supplying weapons used by the Houthis. On Dec. 23, 2023, they launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs), targeting international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea. The attack raised many questions about the origins of the weapons. The National Interest, a U.S.-based journal specializing in international relations, said that the ASBMs are “a genre of weaponry ostensibly possessed only by China’s People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force.”
Meanwhile, a Chinese military blogger, who has over 6 million followers, also posted on Weibo suggesting that the ASBMs used by the Houthis could be derived from technology previously sent by China to Iran.
Since Jan. 11, the United States and the UK have launched large-scale attacks against the Houthis, targeting radar systems, airports, drones, and missile storage sites. The objective of the United States and its Western allies is not to eliminate the Houthis at this point, but rather to achieve a goal of deterrence.
