Representative image
Beijing:
The Chinese Navy has started escorting Chinese cargo ships through the Red Sea, a shipping company and reports in Chinese state media said, Voice of America (VOA) reported.
The development comes at a time when several freight shipping companies have decided to avoid the globally important trade passage, citing attacks by Houthi rebels.
Since November, the Iran-backed Houthis have launched dozens of drone and missile attacks on ships sailing through the Red Sea, actions they say are in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the war with Israel.
Significantly, in the wake of the recent attacks on merchant ships by armed Houthi rebels and suspected pirates in the Red Sea and Western Arabian Sea, experts and leading voices from around the world have highlighted the Indian Navy's rapid response to distressed vessels praised. China about the lack of similar rescue missions.
The experts hailed the rescue of the crew of the distressed merchant ship Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden, noting that despite being considered a world power and having a naval base in Djibouti (near the area of the incident) , did not respond to the emergency call. and it was the Indian Navy that demonstrated quick action.
“India is taking over. Superpower is on the rise… Stop drooling over China,” wrote Europe-based historian and researcher Martin Sauerbrey on X.
British journalist Mark Urban also called it 'fascinating' that India, and not China, suffered the crisis in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
“Among emerging superpowers, it is fascinating to see how India has weathered the crisis in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea… China, not so much,” Urban wrote on X.
A US-led coalition responded to the attacks with rocket attacks on Houthi positions, backed by a collective force from Bahrain, Britain, Canada, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, the Seychelles and Spain. But so far they have not prevented ships from being attacked, according to VOA.
At a time when most shipping lines have been diverted to Africa, doubling costs and shipping times, Sea Legend Shipping, a Qingdao-based company registered in Singapore, is actively promoting its freight business through the Red Sea.
The company said the Chinese navy has provided security escorts for its five cargo ships in the Red Sea since January, making it one of the few still operating in the region, according to Chinese media.
In an email response to a request for confirmation and comment on the scope of protection provided, Yuan Mu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, referred VOA to the departments directly responsible, VOA said.
The spokesperson said in an emailed response: “Overall, China stands ready to work with all parties to ensure the safety of international shipping lanes.”
Although the Houthis have said ships from some countries, including China and Russia, can safely pass through the Red Sea, a British oil tanker carrying Russian oil was hit by a Houthi missile last week and caught fire.
Shipping news site oilprice.com reports that even tankers carrying Russian fuel are now avoiding the Red Sea.
About 40 percent of trade between Europe and Asia passes through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, and about 12 percent of global seaborne oil trade.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
