China Warns Red Sea Escalation Threatens Global Economy and Regional Security

BEIJING, Oct 22:  China on Thursday warned against the spillover of the Middle East conflict into the Horn of Africa, saying the northeastern African region should never become an arena for geopolitical competition.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the position was agreed upon by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Djibouti’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdoulkader Houssein Omar during their meeting in Beijing on Wednesday.

The two officials held an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in the Horn of Africa and the safety of shipping lanes across the Red Sea, Mao said.

They agreed that the recent escalation of tensions in the Red Sea had posed a serious threat to the global economy, particularly the economic activities of countries in the Horn of Africa, while aggravating security challenges such as piracy and terrorism.

Mao said further spillover of regional tensions into the Red Sea was in no one’s interest. She added that both sides called on relevant parties to uphold the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter, respect the basic norms of international relations and avoid escalating tensions through diplomatic means, including dialogue.

“Both sides agreed that the Horn of Africa should never become an arena for geopolitics and the Middle East conflict should not spread to the Horn of Africa,” Mao said.

Freedom of navigation

Wang and Omar also stressed the importance of freedom of navigation through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, emphasizing that the navigation rights of commercial vessels from all countries under international law must be respected.

The Red Sea and Bab al-Mandeb Strait are important maritime routes for international trade, making regional security a concern for countries dependent on shipping through the area.

The two sides said easing tensions in the Middle East was key to addressing security challenges in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.

Call for lasting peace in Gaza

The officials also reaffirmed their support for restoring the legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people.

They stressed that the Gaza ceasefire agreement should be upheld and efforts continued to achieve lasting peace in the territory.

Both sides also emphasized the need to implement the two-state solution in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.

China’s statement comes amid concerns that escalating regional tensions could further threaten maritime security, international trade and stability across the Red Sea and the Horn of Africa.