In the vote on the situation in the Red Sea, China and Russia abstained and made it clear that the situation in the Red Sea is linked to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Anrikai
On the 27th local time, the United Nations Security Council voted on the extension of the resolution on the situation in the Red Sea, and finally passed it with 12 votes in favor, with China, Russia and Algeria abstaining.
The resolution requires the UN Secretary-General to report monthly on attacks on ships by Yemen's Houthis in the Red Sea until January 15, 2025.
In addition, the resolution reiterates the Security Council's demand that the Houthis cease all attacks on passing merchant ships and release a Japanese-operated vessel seized last November.
Houthis
But the Houthis have responded in solidarity with the Palestinians by saying they targeted ships linked to Israel, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Regardless of whether this is the right thing to do, tensions in the Red Sea are entirely due to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and if Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip do not stop, the Houthis will not stop attacking in the Red Sea.
In addition, the content of the two resolutions proposed is very similar, and China, Russia, and other countries abstained from voting in this vote.
Geng Shuang
Geng Shuang, deputy permanent representative of the mainland to the United Nations, emphasized three points in his explanatory remarks.
First, the waters of the Red Sea are important shipping corridors for goods and energy, and China has repeatedly called on the Houthis to stop attacking and harassing civilian vessels and maintain the safety of shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
Second, when resolution 2722 was voted on in January this year, China abstained from voting.
Thirdly, the current tensions in the Red Sea are one of the manifestations of the spillover from the conflict in Gaza, and an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza will help to de-escalate the situation in Yemen and the Red Sea.
Israeli Defense Minister and Prime Minister
Geng Shuang pointed out that this situation is a technical extension of Resolution 2722, and based on the continuity of China's position and the development of events after the adoption of Resolution 2722, we can only abstain from voting again.
Resolution 2722, which was adopted in January, unilaterally demanded concessions from the Houthis and was ambiguous on key issues, with four countries, China, Russia, Algeria and Mozambique, abstaining from voting on fears that it could escalate tensions.
Obviously, we don't encourage the Houthis to attack merchant ships on the waterways, and that's all we have to say, but the Houthis' minds can't be changed by our words alone.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Moreover, it is not difficult to find from the statements of the Houthis that the reason for their actions is entirely that Israel refuses to cease fire in Gaza, so their targets are mainly Israeli-related ships, and as for attacking American and British ships, it is because they are aiding and abetting Israel.
Moreover, the United States and Britain have also organized a so-called "escort alliance" in the Red Sea, and have repeatedly launched attacks on the Houthis in Yemen.
It is also for these reasons that Geng Shuang emphasized the relevance of the conflict in Gaza and the situation in the Red Sea, in short, if the situation in the Red Sea is to be restored to stability, Gaza must have a ceasefire.
Red Sea
Russia's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Anna Yevstignieeva, also made it clear that Russia supports the safety of navigation in the Red Sea and nearby waters, but she criticized the "so-called American coalition" for using the relevant resolution adopted in January to justify its attack on the Houthis. Russia called on all participants in the coalition to stop illegal attacks and reduce tensions through diplomatic means.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the source of these things is in Gaza, and whether the fighting in Gaza can stop is up to Israel, so instead of pressuring the Houthis and "morally kidnapping" UN members, the United States should persuade their ally Israel.