Recently, a number of Western ** reports that China has urged Iran to put pressure on Yemen's Houthi rebels to stop attacking passing merchant ships in the Red Sea. However, Iran said that there was no basis for this information. In fact, China did not specifically put pressure on Iran on this issue, but emphasized one sentence in several talks with Iran: "If China's interests are harmed in any way, it will affect the commercial exchanges between China and Iran, so tell the Houthis to exercise restraint." This sentence undoubtedly disappointed the United States, because it was not a command constraint, but only conveyed China's concerns and expectations.
Further elaborate on the complexity of this issue, involving the interests of the United States, China, Iran and the Houthis. The U.S. emphasized that it would make a request through ** and hoped that China would exert pressure on Iran, but China's attitude was clear, just for Iran to send a reminder not to harm China's interests. Iran, for its part, has firmly denied reports of Chinese pressure on it, calling it disinformation. For their part, the Houthis said they would not target ships from China, Russia and other countries, stressing that their actions were completely autonomous. There is obviously no consensus between the parties in their different attitudes on this issue.
To understand this issue, it is necessary to clarify the two main armed forces within Iran, namely the Iranian Defense Forces and the Revolutionary Guards, which report directly to the Supreme Leader. The Houthis and Iran have a relationship primarily with the Revolutionary Guards, not with Iran**. The Houthis have been at war with the Saudi side for more than a decade, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps has supported them. However, the Houthi actions were completely autonomous, and Iran** did not directly intervene. The relationship between Iran and the Houthis can be said to be only a relationship of conveying information and providing information, and does not have a direct command and control role. Therefore, the Chinese side can only let Iran** play the role of a messenger, because only Iran** has the power to give instructions to the Houthis. The reason why China can exert influence is Iran**, not the Revolutionary Guards.
In addition, Iran** has always kept its distance from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and is not involved in it. Although Iran was once thought to support the Houthis, recent information shows that it is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps that provides the Houthis, which has nothing to do with Iran. This situation also makes it impossible for China to really intervene in the Red Sea crisis between the Revolutionary Guards and the Houthis, because neither Iran** nor the Iranian Revolutionary Guards have enough capacity to intervene.
From a realist point of view, the Chinese side kept a certain distance on the Red Sea issue and emphasized the unharmed interests of its own interests, and this message was conveyed to the Houthis through Iran**, and the Houthis also made relevant commitments. On this issue, the Chinese side does not have a particularly strong reason to accede to the US request. Looking at the whole incident, we cannot accuse China of not actively participating in it, regardless of China's position, interests and practical considerations. After all, for China, protecting its own interests has always been a top priority.
In dealing with complex international relations, countries often have different positions and interests, and solving problems requires coordination and compromise. In the Red Sea crisis, China insisted on safeguarding its own interests and sent messages to the Houthis through Iran** to ensure the security and stability of its commercial dealings. Although China has not formally responded to the U.S. request, this does not mean that China has not acted or is not concerned about this issue. China has always adhered to the principle of handling international affairs, that is, not to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, nor to allow other countries to interfere in its own internal affairs, which is the basic principle of China's foreign policy. In handling the Red Sea crisis, China has made active efforts to protect its own interests and stabilize the regional situation by communicating with Iran and asking it to convey messages to the Houthis.
In general, the Red Sea issue involves a complex situation involving multiple interests and positions, in which China has played a certain role, but it also has its own interests and realist considerations. In international relations, all countries should respect each other's interests and positions, resolve issues through dialogue and compromise, and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.