- WIADOMOŚCI
China enters into the fight for oil routes
According to Reuters, Saudi Arabia has requested China’s assistance in resolving the deteriorating situation off the coast of Yemen. The Houthi movement, which threatens Saudi oil routes, also poses a threat to Beijing’s interests. The Middle Kingdom has decided to exert diplomatic pressure on Iran, which supports the Houthis.
An increasingly difficult situation in the region
It is undeniable that the situation in the region is more than complicated. The Shia Houthi movement, which is one of the parties in the still-frozen civil war in Yemen, occupies a key island and port in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, threatening Saudi oil tankers. They also boast of shooting down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet.
As a result of this situation, the oil crisis in the Middle East – exacerbated by the conflict of the USA and Israel against Iran – is gaining even more momentum, undermining the interests of not only the West but also China. And it is precisely China, according to Reuters, that is to help overcome these difficulties at Saudi Arabia’s request.
Saudi Arabia asks for help
In connection with the blockade of Saudi oil routes by the Shia Houthi movement, Saudi Arabia has turned to China for assistance. The latter, using its friendly relations with Iran, is to influence Tehran so that it, in turn, exerts influence on the Houthis. It is no secret that Shia Iran, while remaining at odds with Sunni (Wahhabi) Saudi Arabia, supports the Houthi movement fighting against Riyadh.
China is interested in stabilising the situation in the region because as much as 14% of all Chinese oil imports come from Saudi Arabia – and nearly the same amount from Iran. The scale is enormous, as it involves a total of up to 3 million barrels of oil per day.
It simply cannot afford such a threat to its interests. According to Reuters, a polite request has already been sent from Beijing to Tehran, which is also keenly interested in the further development of lucrative relations with China, acting as a counterweight to the regional hegemony of the USA and Israel. Officially, Iran has not commented on the matter – unofficially, it makes stopping the Houthis conditional on a successful conclusion, from its perspective, of the war with the USA and Israel.
Where are the United States?
The United States, on the other hand, did not want to help Saudi Arabia – despite receiving the request as early as 10 September. The Donald Trump administration rejected the possibility of a kinetic confrontation with the Houthis, while ensuring the Saudis have access to intelligence data supporting precision strikes. At the same time, the USA is in talks with Houthi leaders, who maintain that they will not attack American ships. The alliance between the two states, though ongoing, remains rather cool.
The closest regional ally of the USA, Israel, despite an apparent alignment of interests, remains even colder towards Riyadh. The two states do not maintain diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel, envisioning such a possibility only in a situation where Israel recognises Palestine.
In the context of the friction between Saudi Arabia and Israel, it is worth recalling the situation in which Benjamin Netanyahu made informal territorial claims against Saudi Arabia, as part of the Greater Israel concept. Social media was also stirred by patches worn by Israeli soldiers depicting a map of Israel – with territory extending deep into Saudi Arabia. As Tel Aviv stated, the patches were not official markings issued by the military.
