China has called for shipping to move freely through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in a joint statement with Djibouti, its first such statement with a country in the region, the South China Morning Post reports.
The communique followed talks in Beijing on Wednesday between the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, and his Djiboutian counterpart, Abdoulkader Houssein Omar. It said merchant ships of all countries should be able to exercise their navigation rights under international law, and that China backed Red Sea coastal states in keeping shipping lanes open and secure.
The paper describes the statement as a diplomatic step up for Beijing. However, Chinese analysts quoted by the paper said the situation had not yet reached a point that would justify Chinese naval escorts, though China would watch closely and could act if its own shipping came under threat.
Source: South China Morning Post
