|
The PRC and Russia may be providing the Iranian-backed Houthis with military equipment in exchange for safe passage through the Red Sea. Anti-Houthi Yemeni media reported on August 6 that Yemeni “counterterrorism forces” intercepted a “major shipment” of military equipment from the PRC bound for Houthi recipients at the Port of Aden. The shipment reportedly contained drones, radio equipment, advanced control units, and weapons parts. The ship had rerouted from the Houthi-controlled port of al Hudaydah following Israeli airstrikes on July 21. The shipment is the latest of several batches of PRC-origin equipment that Yemeni authorities have intercepted en route to the Houthis. Past shipments have included hydrogen fuel cells, drone propellers, and other components. A PRC firm also provided the Houthis with satellite intelligence. Russia has also transferred aid to the Houthis, though Iran is the group’s primary backer. US media and government officials have reported that Russia-based entities have transferred millions of dollars of weapons, dual-use components, and other commodities to the Houthis as of April 2025 and that Russia has also provided the Houthis with targeting intelligence. It is unclear the extent to which this aid has been directed by the PRC and Russian governments, however.
PRC and Russian aid for the Houthis may be part of an agreement to secure safe passage for Russian and PRC ships through the Red Sea and a way to undermine US and Western interests in the Middle East. Bloomberg reported in March 2024 that PRC and Russian diplomats had reached an agreement with the Houthis in Oman to ensure that the Houthis would not target their ships. The Houthis have attacked commercial vessels from various countries in the Red Sea since October 2023, forcing most Western shipping companies to take a much longer route around Africa instead, which has driven up shipping costs. The New York Times reported on August 10 that 14 PRC car carrying ships in July, and a similar number in June, safely transited the Red Sea en route to Europe, despite the Houthis sinking two other cargo ships in early July. The report said that continuing shipments through the Red Sea and Suez Canal saves PRC automakers hundreds of dollars per car compared to Japanese, Korean, and European automakers, which have had to redirect shipments around the southern tip of Africa. Some PRC ships, including those belonging to state-owned shipping giant COSCO, are still avoiding the Red Sea, however.
|
