China and Djibouti released a joint communique on Thursday supporting freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which are currently under threat from the Iran-backed Houthi insurgents of Yemen.
\n\nThe statement was issued after Djibouti’s Foreign Minister Abdoulkader Houssein Omar met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.
\n\n“The two sides emphasised the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and stressed that the navigation rights exercised by merchant vessels of all countries in accordance with international law should be respected,” the communique said.
\n\n“China supports Red Sea coastal states in constructively safeguarding the unobstructed and secure operation of international shipping lanes and protecting the region’s common interests,” it added.
\n\nDjibouti is a small state across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Yemen. China’s only acknowledged overseas naval base was established in Djibouti ten years ago and was recently upgraded with enhanced intelligence-gathering capabilities.
\n\nThe People’s Republic of China (PRC) has become the top foreign investor in Djibouti, pumping money into port facilities, railroads, and gas pipelines as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). As usual with BRI client states, Djibouti has accumulated enormous debt to…
Original source: https://breitbart.com/
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