Beijing shrugs at U.S. call for help protecting Red Sea shipping
China’s disinterest in Red Sea policing role underscores Beijing’s reluctance to back its rhetoric on Middle East peace with substantive action.
The Chinese government appears to be brushing off Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s call for Beijing to assist an international coalition in protecting commercial shipping in the Red Sea from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militias.
Beijing signaled that it has no interest in joining the Pentagon’s Operation Prosperity Guardian , a multinational force including Canada, the United Kingdom and Bahrain, in providing security for cargo ships under threat of Houthi attack.
“We believe relevant parties, especially major countries with influence, need to play a constructive and responsible role in keeping the shipping lanes safe in the Red Sea,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Thursday in an indirect reference to U.S. military and diplomatic heft in the region.
Apologies for the misunderstandin of your statement. My bad.
Why do you think China, one of the main trading partners with the West, should not be expected to participate in securing a primary trading route, especially after expressing a desire to play a more proactive role in securing the Middle East?
Certainly, the recent surge in attacks stems from the Israel/Palestine conflict. While one could argue that we all bear some responsibility for reaching this point, the attacks on trading routes are carried out by a third party financially backed by another entity, mainly Iran. These attacks, though related to the conflict, involve non-direct participants, including the ships they target. This categorizes them plainly as terror attacks on a trading route, and there's no need to let it escalate or reach a point where other uninvolved groups might be tempted to join in.
I agree; China's best move for now would be to sit and wait, maintaining distance. It gives them more breathing room. China, especially the CCP, has its interests in mind and isn't particularly interested in helping causes that don't further their goals. More "chaos" in the Middle East is something CCP leaders would likely appreciate.
These attacks were made with the stated intent of stopping international shipping from reaching Israel. Basically a DIY sea blockade in response to the war in Gaza. The only sane response to America's request here is "clean up your own mess", which is what China did. That's what I'm saying: This is Israel, and therefore America's, mess.
I get your point and understand where you're coming from. I think you're right from a certain perspective.
But I want to add that it doesn't matter that they declared they want to stop shipping to Israel; if the entire trade route is affected, it's just terrorism, plain and simple. Securing vital trade routes and sending a clear signal that this conflict won't spiral is crucial for stability.
Also, this is an international issue (trade route security), not purely an American one. While the U.S. could handle it easily by themselves, it would lead to more significant problems and conflicts in the long run.
I just believe inclusivity is always better than exclusivity.
Chaos in the Middle East would be devastating for the CCP. The existence of China as a modern nation is a dependent upon energy exports and trade which traverses this region.
They don’t have the ability to project power much beyond their first island chain. They certainly could not sustain for any length of time.