2024-02-04 12:01:04
China’s navy has begun escorting Chinese merchant ships in the Red Sea, where on normal days about 12% of world trade passes. This was published in the Chinese media. Beijing does operate a permanent base in Djibouti on the west bank of Bab al-Mandab, but this mission may hide the increased Chinese presence in the Red Sea – even though the Houthi rebels are not attacking its ships.
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Since the end of December, the proportion of Chinese merchant ships out of all those still crossing the Red Sea has doubled, according to Lloyd’s List data. This trend did not occur because of an increase in the traffic of Chinese merchant ships in the Red Sea, but rather a drop in the total number of merchant ships in the area from about 100 per week to about 35 and even less.
The Houthis do not attack Chinese ships for two reasons: first and foremost, China is the importer of approximately 91% of Iran’s exported oil, the patron of the Houthis. Second, the Chinese shipping giant Cuzco, as revealed in Globes, stopped visiting Israel – just as the Houthis demanded. Cuzco is the controlling owner of the port of Piraeus in Greece (67%), and in order to use the company’s services, Israeli companies are required to send the goods from China to Piraeus. There the goods should be transferred to a ship bound for Israel.
China’s decision: escorting ships, not as part of the US naval coalition
China does not take part in the “Prosperity Guardian” coalition for the protection of navigation in the Red Sea, which is led by the US. This is due to both the relationship with Iran and due to the severe rivalry with Washington. Its fleet mainly accompanies the merchant ships of the Sea Legend company, which is based in the city Qingdao and is registered in Singapore. Using five ships that sail in the Red Sea, the company allows customers to avoid sending the goods on the route around Africa via the Cape of Good Hope – and save at least two weeks for the shipments from the East.
The Chinese company is doing this while the Houthi rebels keep attacking Western ships. The Americans and their partners are trying, so far unsuccessfully, to stop the Houthi attacks. In the past day, they attacked 36 targets of the Houthis, as well as seven missile launchers ready for launch with cruise missiles.
Evidence of the failure of the navigation protection force in the Red Sea was received on Tuesday (Friday) when the French shipping giant CMA CGM decided, for the second time, to stop crossing the Red Sea. The French company is the third largest in the world, with about 12.5% of the container transport in the world, while Cuzco is fourth with about 10.9%. Initially, the French tried using their navy to create a military escort model, but realized that it was not enough. “Coordinated convoys of the US Navy and the Chinese Navy seem imaginary, but it is possible that the Chinese military presence will contribute to the security of the maritime passage,” Jennifer Cabana, a senior researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for World Peace, told VOA.
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