The Chinese government are reported to have met with their Yemeni counterparts in Beijing this week to discuss the Red Sea crisis and subsequently called for Houthi Rebels to end their attacks on cargo ships in the region.
A Chinese foreign ministry statement read “China calls for an end to harassment of civilian ships and maintenance of the safety of waterways in the Red Sea, and is willing to continue to play a constructive role in this regard,”
The Red Sea attacks gave the vast majority of carriers no choice but to reroute vessels away from the danger zone, which has led to major disruption on Asia origin services through reduced capacity, a shortage of container equipment and now port congestion.
Prior to the longer routes, the Iranian backed Houthi Rebels are reported to have attacked over 100 vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding areas, and the now spiralling ocean freight costs and delays are hurting Chinese exports.
China is far and away the most important trading partner for Iran, and are understood to have had previous dialogue regarding the Red Sea issue, but it is widely hoped that the most recent pressure will help to bring an end to the Houthi attacks.
