According to their information, Saudi Arabia approached Beijing after the Houthis intensified their activities along the Red Sea coast and in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait area. Riyadh fears that further escalation of tensions could jeopardize oil exports and shipping. Publicly, China calls for restraint, dialogue, and the restoration of maritime security. Sources claim that in private communications, Beijing also asked Tehran to help prevent the spread of the conflict to important energy routes on which the Chinese economy depends. According to sources, Iran responded that stability in the region depends on ending the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. At the same time, Chinese representatives did not threaten Tehran with economic measures. Beijing stated that it does not want to transfer regional tensions to Yemen and the Red Sea, and called for resolving issues through dialogue and negotiations.
