'Turn Out Warships Like Sausages': China Has the Largest Navy on Earth

[FHN]

Chinese Navy Escorting Commercial Cargo Ships in Red Sea

Chinese Navy Escorting Commercial Cargo Ships in Red Sea

Houthi rebel attacks have already meant longer transit times between China and Europe, higher energy prices, shipping and insurance rates

www.voanews.com

 

[FHN]

China Is Winning the Battle for the Red Sea, America Has Retired as World Policeman

Hardly for the first time, remote Arab tribesmen are reshaping the world. Piratical attacks on international shipping by Yemen-based Houthi rebels have created a significant security crisis in the Red Sea. The world’s largest shipping lines have been forced to suspend transit through the Red Sea...

www.heritage.org

The Chinese are well prepared to capitalize on this situation. Although COSCO has for now also abandoned the Red Sea route, other smaller Chinese shippers have spotted commercial opportunity and leapt to fill the gap. China United Lines (CULines), for example, has rushed to start up a “Red Sea Express” service linking Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah to Chinese ports. They are able to do so because the Houthis seem to be under strict orders to try to avoid attacking China-linked vessels. Ships still running the straits into the Red Sea now regularly make sure to prominently display Chinese flags and use their satellite identification data to announce that they have Chinese owners, or even just Chinese crew members. The number of vessels transiting the area while preemptively broadcasting that they carry Chinese crew has surged from less than two per day to more than 30 in late January. Apparently this is the magic talisman to keep pirates at bay—though China’s navy has at least three warships in the area to escort its vessels, should it prove insufficient.
Why should china do anything when all commercial vessels have to put up Chinese flag to avoid getting hit by houthis missiles this is a win for china politically
Winning by doing nothing lol