Djibouti’s Overseas Minister Abdoulkader Houssein Omar is visiting China from October 19 to 25. On October 21, he held a gathering along with his counterpart and host, Chinese language Overseas Minister Wang Yi. In response to a spokesperson from China’s Overseas Ministry, “That they had an in-depth change of views on the Horn of Africa scenario and the security of delivery lanes throughout the Crimson Sea.”
The Crimson Sea is beneath siege – a serious concern for Djibouti, which sits on the Horn of Africa, on the junction between the Crimson Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
For many of 2026, the world has been centered on one other essential waterway: the Strait of Hormuz, a transit route for round one-fourth of all international crude oil shipments and one-fifth of the world’s LNG. Israel and the U.S. started strikes towards Iran on February 28; Iran retaliated partially by shutting down delivery within the Strait of Hormuz. Site visitors by way of the strait has been constrained ever since.
In response, Saudi Arabia started rerouting some its oil through pipeline to the Crimson Sea. Saudi oil shipments on this route jumped practically fivefold, going from 1 million to 4.9 million barrels per day. However new assaults by the Houthis, Iran-backed militants that occupy a lot of Yemen, at the moment are jeopardizing that delivery. Beginning in September, the Houthis started a concerted effort to grab management of the Bab al Mandeb Strait, the physique of water between Yemen and Djibouti and an important chokepoint for delivery through the Crimson Sea.
Crimson Sea map
Whereas Yemeni authorities forces have taken again a lot of the territory, the menace to delivery stays excessive. A Washington Submit article, citing “Iranian officers and diplomats within the area,” mentioned that Iran noticed the weeks earlier than the U.S. midterm elections on November 3 as a “crucial window” for weakening U.S. President Donald Trump. Iran is accordingly stepping up assault within the Strait of Hormuz – and should have the Houthis do the identical within the Crimson Sea.
That leaves regional states like Djibouti to reckon with the fallout.
China, because the world’s largest exporter, has a direct stake within the consequence as properly. Wang and Omar not solely mentioned the delivery menace throughout their talks however issued a whole joint communique on the topic.
Sadly, there’s not a lot new within the doc. It serves extra as a automobile for each nations to specific their issues than an try to supply concrete options.
Djibouti and China agreed that “the latest escalation of tensions within the Crimson Sea poses a severe menace to the worldwide financial system, significantly to financial actions within the Horn of Africa area, together with commerce, funding, vitality, and meals safety.” However additionally they made it clear that the onus is on different nations to unravel the problem. “Each side imagine that easing tensions within the Center East is essential to resolving the safety challenges within the Horn of Africa and the Crimson Sea,” the assertion declared. In different phrases, that is finally an issue for Israel, Iran, and america to sort out.
The joint assertion referred to as on “all events” concerned to “take concrete actions by way of dialogue and diplomacy to deal with the intense challenges going through the Center East, the Crimson Sea, and the Horn of Africa, stopping the escalation or additional complication of regional tensions.” There’s no indication that both China or Djibouti will take new steps to facilitate that “dialogue and diplomacy.”
“The Horn of Africa must not ever be used as a geopolitical area, and the flames of struggle within the Center East must not ever be delivered to the Horn of Africa,” the assertion avowed. How China or Djibouti plan to forestall precisely that consequence is left unsaid, aside from Djibouti’s enthusiastic backing for China’s imprecise and largely unactionable peace plans for each the Center East and “African hotspots.”
The explanation for China’s concern is clear. The Crimson Sea is a crucial delivery hyperlink for Chinese language exports to Europe, particularly with the Strait of Hormuz wanting more and more unstable. That was highlighted throughout President Xi Jinping’s go to to Egypt in early September. Egypt controls the Suez Canal, which hyperlinks the Crimson Sea to the Mediterranean – and Europe. China has already plowed over $5 billion into the Suez Canal Financial Zone in Egypt.
On the southern finish of the Crimson Sea, China additionally has quite a bit invested in Djibouti particularly. The state-owned agency China Retailers Group helped construct Djibouti’s Doraleh Multipurpose Port mission, to the tune of $590 million. Individually, CMG has a 23.5 p.c stake within the Port of Djibouti.
China additionally funded and constructed the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway, to present landlocked Ethiopia one other buying and selling route for its exports. And let’s not overlook that Djibouti hosts China’s first abroad army facility, whose said function is to supply logistics for Chinese language anti-piracy patrols within the area.
Throughout their talks, Wang informed Omar that China will “assist” Djibouti “in constructing itself right into a regional hub for commerce, logistics, and connectivity.” However Djibouti’s ambitions – and China’s billions in investments – have little hope if the Crimson Sea is closed to delivery by militant assaults.
