Recently, frequent attacks on the Red Sea waterway by Yemen's Houthi rebels have forced many international shipping companies, including China, to suspend the waterway. The United States immediately launched a convoy escort operation in the Red Sea, ostensibly to maintain the safety of navigation, but in fact it had other intentions. The incident quickly sparked widespread discussion on the Internet, and everyone speculated about the true intentions of the US move. Today we will analyze what is the deep motive of the United States for launching the Red Sea escort operation.
The cause of the incident can be traced back to the recent Israeli bombing campaign in the Gaza Strip. In retaliation, Yemen's Houthi rebels began frequent attacks on Israeli merchant ships on the Red Sea Route. This has directly led to the forced suspension of many international shipping companies, including China, to sail the Red Sea, and China's foreign trade routes have also been seriously affected.
So, what is the connection between the Houthi attacks and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?In reality, this is nothing more than a response by the Yemeni armed forces to Israeli aggression. It was the United States' long-standing support for Israel, its continued expansion and bombing of civilians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that led to retaliation by the Yemeni armed forces, which ultimately led to the interruption of the Red Sea shipping lanes.
Thus, the root cause of the disruption of shipping in the Red Sea can actually be traced back to the biased position of the United States on the Palestinian-Israeli issue. Had the United States not supported Israel's expansionist behavior, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could have been resolved diplomatically. It is the United States' obstinate support for Israel that pushes the situation into confrontation and conflict.
The United States seems to see the Red Sea escort as the best time to put out the fire. It announced in a high-profile manner the launch of an escort operation and called for the participation of many countries. Behind this, however, lies the United States' desire to maintain its hegemony in the Middle East.
First, the security of the Red Sea shipping lanes is a matter of great importance to the United States. The oil-producing countries in the Middle East have to pay tens of billions of dollars to the United States every year in the so-called "arms protection fees" in exchange for the protection of sea lanes by the United States. If even the Red Sea shipping lanes cannot be secured, the United States' hegemony in the Middle East will be shaken.
Second, the escort highlights the decline in U.S. power. It had to convene a multinational coalition and could only provide a limited military force of its own. The lukewarm response from allies is also indicative of the decline of America's international influence. The United States urgently needs to rebuild its prestige through this escort operation.
Finally, once the interrupted shipping lanes are opened, the biggest beneficiary will inevitably be China. The United States must not tolerate China profiting from this. Therefore, it must strike first and continue to control the situation by leading the escort operation.
To sum up, the United States escorts the Red Sea not so much for the safety of navigation as it is for maintaining its own missile supremacy in the Middle East. This still does not hide the fact that its global strategy is shrinking.
Some people believe that China should be grateful for the U.S. escort operation, because the smooth passage of the Red Sea is conducive to China's foreign trade. However, this view is too superficial.
First, we have seen that the root cause of the disruption of shipping lanes is that the United States supports Israel and creates a conflict in the Middle East. As the creator and promoter of this situation, the United States now wants to make amends, and we need no need to be grateful.
Second, the main purpose of this escort is not pure, and the main purpose is to maintain the hegemony of the United States in the Middle East. There is no need to be overjoyed that China's interests have been partially restored as a by-product of its plans.
Finally, even if the Red Sea shipping lanes were to resume, China's benefits would be limited. The shipping industry is only one of many industries in China, and what the United States has done has already harmed China's development interests on a larger scale. We must take a long-term view and not be impressed by the small favors of the United States.
To sum up, what the United States has done has caused long-term turmoil in the Middle East, and it has done far more than this "contribution" to international peace. Chinese should not thank the United States for its so-called "good deeds," but should keep a clear head and comprehensively analyze its strategic schemes.
The Red Sea escort incident has fully exposed the duplicity of the United States in exercising hegemonism under the banner of "justice." The Chinese should not change their view of it because of a small interest for a while. We must be vigilant against the US attempt to maintain its hegemony in the Middle East and be ready to deal with its negative impact at any time. At the same time, we can also enhance stability and development in the Middle East through peaceful cooperation and provide positive and feasible solutions to open up the situation.