Key facts
- China and Djibouti issued a joint statement on Red Sea navigation.
- Both countries expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation.
- The statement emphasized respecting the sovereignty of Red Sea littoral states.
- China supports regional states in maintaining safe shipping lanes.
- The US ordered some personnel to depart its Saudi Arabia missions.
China and Djibouti issued a joint statement on Thursday calling for freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, citing concerns over the deteriorating security situation. The statement, released after a meeting between their foreign ministers in Beijing, emphasized that the right of merchant ships to navigate in accordance with international law should be respected.
Djibouti, strategically located across the Bab ed-Mandeb Strait from Yemen, hosts China's first overseas military base and bases for the US, Japan, and France. The joint statement stressed the importance of respecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and wishes of Red Sea littoral states, urging major powers outside the region to avoid force and unilateral sanctions.