The Chinese Navy ** boat formation set sail from Sanya, Hainan Province, and went to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters to carry out escort missions. Since 2008, China has carried out escort missions in the Gulf of Aden for 15 consecutive years. Recently, the Houthis announced the interception of Israeli ships in the Red Sea and all ships sailing to Israeli ports through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, and successfully stopped and attacked a number of Israeli merchant ships. This has led to a number of world-class shipping companies announcing that they will avoid the Red Sea route.
In response, the United States and 19 Western countries have sent dozens of ships to patrol the Red Sea, hoping to contain the threat posed by the Houthis. However, the support of these countries varies, such as Australia, which sent 16 troops to the headquarters of the United States-organized Joint Sea Force to provide support, but did not send ships. In the face of Houthi attacks, the United States has always wanted China to join and play a constructive role on the Red Sea issue, as they believe that China's economy will also suffer. However, China did not respond positively to this proposal.
Why doesn't China support escorting in the Red Sea?Because allies, including the United States, have seen that the United States has been unilaterally and strongly supporting Israel, so that Israel has always received enough encouragement and support to continue the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. China believes that if the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues, even escorting ships in the Red Sea will only treat the symptoms rather than the root cause. Therefore, China has always stressed the importance of resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The Gulf of Aden was escorted because the area was plagued by Somali pirates, and the security of merchant ships was ensured by force.
It is clear that the problems of the Red Sea region need to be resolved by political means, since the use of force alone will only worsen the situation.