The United States has called on China to intervene and persuade Tehran to control Houthis, who have been attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea to extend support to Gaza.
In Gaza, more than 25,000 Palestinians have lost lives in Israeli strikes since October last year after Hamas retaliated to decades-long occupational crimes committed by Israel.
American officials, including national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Deputy Jon Finer, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have engaged in discussions with top Chinese officials, such as Liu Jianchao, head of the Chinese Communist Party’s international department.
The Red Sea is a crucial shipping route for global trade, and the recent attacks on commercial vessels have prompted concerns.
While the Chinese foreign ministry expressed a desire to halt disturbances to civilian ships and claimed active communication with various parties to ease tensions in the Red Sea, it also issued a veiled criticism of the US and UK attacks on the Houthis.
The ministry urged relevant parties to avoid escalating the situation and emphasized that the UN Security Council had not authorized the use of force in Yemen.
The US and its allies have been conducting airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen in response to multiple attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea since mid-November.
Despite these actions, the US remains skeptical about China’s willingness to change its stance. While there have been some indications of China engaging on the issue, officials are cautious not to overstate the significance of these efforts.
US officials had hoped that China, with its economic interests in the region and as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, would play a constructive role in influencing Iran to curb Houthi attacks.
