China in talks with Houthis to let its tankers through Red Sea strait

China has held direct talks with Yemen’s Houthis to enable its tankers to sail through the southern Red Sea without being attacked after the Iran-aligned rebel group pledged to prevent access to Saudi ports, six sources with knowledge of the matter say.

Beijing has asked the Houthis directly to promise safe passage for its tankers, according to the sources, including a senior Iranian official.

China was among the first countries to contact the Houthis directly about transits through Bab el-Mandeb, the strait at the southern end of the Red Sea with Yemen on its eastern bank, say the sources, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

China’s Transport Ministry, the Houthis’ media office and Iran’s Foreign Ministry do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China’s Foreign Ministry, without confirming talks with the Houthis, says it is closely following developments in the Red Sea.

At least four tankers have loaded crude from Saudi ports bound for China and transited Bab el-Mandeb since the Houthis announced restrictions on July 20, according to Kpler analysis and LSEG and MarineTraffic ship-tracking data.

Chinese officials have cleared each vessel individually with the Houthis, one of the sources says, and both sides have informed Iran of their actions, two officials in the region briefed by Tehran tell Reuters.

The Houthis have informed international shipping companies by email that vessels may be attacked if they load or discharge cargo at Saudi Arabian ports.

Some tankers trying to enter the Red Sea through the Bab el-Mandeb have changed course because of safety worries, two separate Chinese trade sources say.

The Houthis have maintained good relations with China and there has been close coordination in the past between them, especially on oil shipments to China from Saudi Arabia, two sources close to the Houthis tell Reuters.