China has held direct talks with Yemen’s Houthi movement to ensure its oil tankers can pass safely through the southern Red Sea without coming under attack, according to a Reuters report. The talks came after the Iran-aligned Houthis threatened to restrict access to Saudi Arabian ports and warned international shipping companies that vessels loading or unloading cargo there could be targeted. Reuters said Beijing is seeking to keep Saudi crude exports flowing through the Red Sea port of Yanbu to offset supply disruptions caused by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. According to shipping data analysed by Kpler and tracking information from LSEG and MarineTraffic, at least four oil tankers have loaded Saudi crude bound for China and transited the Bab al-Mandab Strait since the Houthis announced the restrictions.
