Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
8 March 2024 | 09:16 a.m. CAT
1 minute read

Image: DVIDS/Reuters

The Houthis of Yemen continue to disrupt shipping routes in the Red Sea, which serves as a vital thoroughfare for imports and exports between Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Africa. The disruptions are a form of retaliation against Israel and its supporters.

The United States believes China could leverage its relationship with Iran to influence the conflict, given Iran’s alleged connections to the Houthis.

However, China’s ability to mediate the conflict may be constrained by various factors, Dr Emmanuel Matambo, research director at the UJ Centre for Africa-China Studies, explained on Radio Islam International.

“The first reason is that Iran has not publicly declared that it is indeed in cahoots with the Houthis. And second, even if Iran was in cahoots with the Houthis, China has very little diplomatic room to manoeuvre because it depends on Iran for its oil and wouldn’t want to disrupt the oil lifeline that Iran presents,” Dr Matambo says.

In addition, China’s economy has suffered a blow and has not recovered to pre-COVID levels, Dr Matambo notes.

The United States has more leverage in the situation than China, and instead of solely relying on China, the US should exert pressure on Israel to stop its onslaught on Gaza.

“The United States has more leverage than it thinks, and the Houthis have made their issue clear: what they are currently engaged in is punishment for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. So, what the United States can do at the moment is to put pressure itself on Israel rather than hoping China on its own could have the key to unlock what has been happening in the Red Sea,” Dr Matambo says.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat here.