American magazine: Yemen's strategic location is an economic and commercial ambition for China
English - Thursday 20 July 2023 الساعة 06:00 pm
Aden, NewsYemen:
The American magazine "Responsible State Craft" published a report in which it revealed the goals of the Chinese move in Yemen and the establishment of close relations with the various parties in the war that has been going on for years.
The report indicated that Beijing is working to strengthen its contacts with all Yemeni parties, including the Houthi rebels, and indicated that the oil exploration deal in Yemen signed by a well-known Chinese company with the Houthis last May clearly confirms that Beijing tacitly recognizes the rebels as a governing body in Yemen. While declaring publicly that it is with the legitimate Yemeni government in the country.
The report indicated that China does not only interfere on the side of the Houthis, explaining that the Chargé d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Yemen, Zhao Cheng, held meetings with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Yemen, Muhammad bin Saeed Al-Jaber, to discuss the latest developments in Yemen and how to reach a political solution. The meeting was preceded by a series of meetings with members of the Presidential Leadership Council, including the President of the Council, Rashad Al-Alimi, the leader of the National Resistance, Tariq Saleh, and the leader of the Southern Transitional Council, Aidarous Al-Zubaidi.
The report of the American magazine pointed out that Beijing has also been working to develop relations with the Southern Transitional Council for years. It has long maintained open lines of communication with the separatist group. While China publicly opposes the cause of southern independence, it has been able to leverage its relationship with the Southern Transitional Council to encourage it to stick to power-sharing agreements with the Yemeni government.
After the Iran-Saudi agreement, STC officials praised China for the constructive role it played in the Middle East.
The report indicated that the Chinese intervention in Yemen is far from new. Diplomatic relations between Yemen and China date back to 1956 when Yemen was in fact the first country in the Arabian Peninsula to recognize the People's Republic of China. Since the unification of Yemen in 1990, China has signed agreements to build natural gas power plants in Yemen, expand container ports in Aden and Mocha, and has been active in the oil production sector in Yemen. Pointing out that China also began to develop its contacts and relationship with the Houthis as early as 2011.
He pointed out that Yemen's strategic location in the Gulf makes it attractive to Beijing, since a large part of China's trade with Europe passes through the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea. While Chinese oil imported from the Middle East and Africa passes through Bab al-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz.
The US report emphasized that China already has access to these strategic waterways, securing access to Yemeni ports could help advance China's ambitious Belt and Road initiative (the Silk Road) and ensure entry into global trade routes.
The magazine pointed out that Beijing's involvement in Yemen comes against the background of the significant increase in its diplomatic activity across the Middle East and Africa, and it appears that it is positioning itself as a non-interventionary alternative to the United States, in order to expand its influence in the region. Adding: Beijing is looking to strengthen its diplomatic relations in the region to compete with the United States.
The magazine confirmed that Beijing realizes that after the end of the war, Yemen will need millions of dollars for reconstruction and economic development. And by engaging in all aspects of the war, he ensures that Chinese companies such as the China Harbor Engineering Company are in a position to win these lucrative contracts. Noting that Beijing considers its access to resources in the Middle East and vital markets as unexpected financial gains.
