Tag: Middle East

Where Is China in the Red Sea Crisis?

Media Library

PENTAGON —  As Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen continue attacks on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, a coalition of about two dozen countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., has been working to secure the important waterway. About 15 commercial ships have been damaged by Houthi drones or missiles since mid-November, and the U.S. says there are now between four and eight coalition ships in the Red Sea on any given day to help protect international vessels. Last week the U.S. and British militaries launched their fourth combined…

Red Sea Attacks Foster Arab-Israeli Trade Link by Land

Media Library

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia —  Houthi drone and missile attacks on Red Sea shipping have spurred the development of an alternative “land bridge” to carry cargo by truck from the Persian Gulf across Saudi Arabia and Jordan to Israel and Egypt. The project, which is already seeing dozens of trucks per day reach the Israeli port of Haifa, is seen as an early benefit of the 2020 Abraham Accords normalizing ties between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. It bodes well for future cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The United…

Chinese Navy Escorting Commercial Cargo Ships in Red Sea

Media Library

China’s navy has started escorting Chinese cargo ships through the Red Sea, according to a shipping company and Chinese state media reports. This comes as many cargo shipping companies have decided to avoid the globally important trade passage because of attacks from Houthi rebels. Since November, Iran-backed Houthis have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea, acts that they say are in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas in the war with Israel. A U.S.-led coalition has responded to the attacks with missile…

China Circumspect After International Court Ruling on Israel

Media Library

Johannesburg, South Africa —  In a carefully worded response this week, China voiced its support of the U.N.’s International Court of Justice, or ICJ, ruling that orders Israel to desist from the killing of Palestinians in Gaza. Experts tell VOA that privately China has reservations about the use of such courts to deal with allegations of genocide, which could have awkward implications for Beijing. “We hope that the ICJ’s provisional measures can be effectively implemented,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin when asked about the issue at a regular press…

Ukraine, Middle East Conflicts Hamper Fight Against Graft

Media Library

Global efforts to curb public sector corruption are stalling, even reversing in some regions due to armed conflicts and dysfunctional justice systems, a leading corruption watchdog said on Tuesday. Berlin-based Transparency International’s annual report paints a grim picture, revealing that most countries have made negligible or no progress in tackling corruption. “Both authoritarian regimes and democratic leaders undermining justice contribute to increasing impunity for corruption and, in some cases, even encourage it by removing consequences for wrongdoers,” the company said in a statement. Even while it repels the Russian invasion,…

China Urges End of ‘Harassment’ of Vessels in Red Sea

Media Library

BEIJING —  China called for an end to the “harassment” of civilian vessels in the Red Sea on Friday after attacks on ships by Houthi rebels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Houthi aggression against shipping vessels in and around the Red Sea has led to retaliatory strikes in Yemen by U.S. and British forces. Some shipping firms are avoiding the crucial trade artery, causing delays along international trade routes. Beijing emphasized Friday the area was an “important international trade route for goods and energy.” “We call for an end…

China Offers Help to Cool Pakistan-Iran Tensions

Media Library

Regional powerhouse China offered to play a “constructive role” Thursday in easing tensions between Pakistan and Iran, which have reached a boiling point following reciprocal airstrikes across their shared border, leaving civilians dead and raising fears of further escalation. On Thursday, Pakistani airstrikes in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan provinces killed several people, including four children and three women, Iranian officials said. Pakistan justified the airstrikes as targeting “hideouts used by terrorist organizations” in Iran, a claim strongly rejected by Tehran. The strikes took place two days after Iran bombed targets…

Why Chinese Foreign Minister’s Visit Focuses on North and West Africa

Media Library

Johannesburg, South Africa —  China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is on a tour of four African countries this week, and analysts say the choice of Egypt, Tunisia, Togo and Ivory Coast indicate Beijing’s current foreign policy objectives, including a desire to play a greater role in negotiating peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Wang has made the African continent his first international port of call at the start of every year since becoming foreign minister in 2013. The only exception was 2023, when his short-lived replacement, Qin Gang, was at…

Chinese Vloggers Glorify Hamas with Cosplay and Posts

Media Library

With a green headband, a camouflage uniform and a Palestinian flag patch, a man dressed as a Hamas fighter appears in a social media video pointing a rifle and a knife at the camera. However, he is not a member of Hamas or any other armed group but a vlogger on the Chinese video website Bilibili. Over the past two months, netizens in China have cheered for Hamas and shared cartoons featuring Hamas fighters on Bilibili and other Chinese social media platforms. Some have posted images of themselves dressing as…