China, reluctant to pick a side in the Iran war, is reportedly being urged by its diplomats to protect relations with Gulf states as competition with the US for influence in the region heats up. The world’s second-largest economy depends on Gulf crude, including Iranian supplies, forcing Beijing to practice the fine art of fence-sitting in the name of protecting energy flows, Al Majalla, the Saudi-owned magazine, reported. China is concerned about Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis threatening shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Beijing backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government and China has carried out naval exercises from its nearby base in Djibouti, but weapons with Chinese components have ended up in Houthi hands.
The expanding war is making China’s balancing act harder to sustain: Beijing has reportedly put pressure on Tehran to restrain the Houthis, a move that could make it seem a more reliable friend to Gulf states.
— Damian Zane