World

Report: Saudis Ask China to Curb Houthis

Is China the indispensable broker who can talk to all parties in the Middle East or a free-rider profiting from a security order others pay for?

Published 2 days ago

Report: Saudis Ask China to Curb Houthis

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Above: Houthi fighters in Al Jawf province, Yemen on Sept. 14. Image credit: Houthi Media Center/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-China narrative

China is the one major power that can actually talk to all parties in the Middle East, and that makes Beijing indispensable to calming this mess. Pushing Iran and the U.S. back to a ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz protects global energy supplies and regional stability. The old security architecture in the Gulf has failed, and a U.S. uninterested in resolving the Houthi situation has no solutions.

Global Times Al Jazeera

Anti-China narrative

Beijing talks peace while free-riding on a security order paid for by others. China buys the vast bulk of Iran's discounted oil, refuses to join maritime security efforts and offers no real alternative framework, pocketing the benefits of open sea lanes without shouldering any of the cost. Expecting Tehran to bend to Chinese pressure, and this will have no measurable impact on the security situation.

The Diplomat

Jonathan Fulton on Substack