WASHINGTON: After seeing visible rise in attacks by Iran supported Houthis, the United States (US) contacted China to ask Iran to rein in the Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea but stille China has shown cold shoulder.
According to US media reports, US has repeatedly raised the matter with top Chinese officials in the past three months
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his deputy, Jon Finer, discussed the issue in meetings this month in Washington with Liu Jianchao, head of the International Liaison Department of China’s Communist Party, the newspaper said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also raised the issue with his Chinese counterpart, the report said, adding US officials believe there was little evidence that China had put any pressure on Iran to restrain the Houthis beyond a mild statement Beijing issued last week.
The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping and stoked fears of global inflation. They have also deepened concern that fallout from the Israel-Hamas war could destabilize the Middle East.
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