The Diplomat published on 30 January 2024 an analysis titled "China in the Red Sea: Beijing's Houthi Connection" by Barbara Keleman, Central European Institute of Asian Studies.
China began a relationship with the Houthis in Yemen in 2016. The Houthis announced that Chinese ships are exempt from attack and some of them continue to travel through the Red Sea. But China's influence over the Houthis appears to be limited and exercised primarily through its closer relationship with Iran.
