The Atlantic Council published on 5 May 2025 an analysis titled "How China Turned the Red Sea into a Strategic Trap for the US" by Fatima Abo Alasrar, Washington Center for Yemen Studies.
From the beginning, China made a deal with the Houthis to exempt Chinese-flagged and owned vessels from attack. Chinese companies subsequently strengthened Houthi capabilities by providing satellite targeting data. Beijing now portrays the crisis as revealing "United States' impotence" against "non-traditional opponents like the Houthis" while claiming US military intervention has "only triggered more resistance."
