China’s disinterest in Red Sea policing role underscores Beijing’s reluctance to back its rhetoric on Middle East peace with substantive action.

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.

    • Maalus@lemmy.worldEnglish
      42·
      11 months ago

      It’s not “justified” it is “understandable”. And yes, the shit that is happening there is a direct result of the genocide happening in Gaza. It also is the fault of the US - seeing how they are able to end the genocide if they wanted to. Still, they don’t, with the president calling himself a “zionist” openly.

    • NoneOfUrBusiness@kbin.social
      34·
      11 months ago

      Sooo groups of people thousands of miles away from the conflict who have no direct involvement in said conflict attacking the shipping of neutral parties is somehow justified….

      Uh… Yes, that’s exactly the case. The attacks were made with the stated aim of isolating Israel economically. It’s very much a kosher war tactic, and to the people of Yemen (or at least the Houthis) it definitely seems like they consider the genocide of Gazans enough of a casus bellus.