According to a number of media reports, on June 27, local time in the United States, the Security Council voted on the extension of the resolution related to the situation in the Red Sea, in which Russia, China and Algeria all abstained collectively in the vote, but the resolution was finally adopted with 12 votes in favor, 0 votes against and 3 abstentions.
It is reported that this resolution is a technical extension of Security Council Resolution 2722, which was adopted on January 10 this year, and requires the UN Secretary-General to report on the details of Houthi attacks on passing ships in the Red Sea every month until January 15, 2025.
China abstained from voting in January, saying that the draft resolution was ambiguous on a number of key issues, which made it likely that it would not have the desired effect and even feared that it would lead to further escalation. The reality of the situation also confirms China's judgment.
In March, the Houthis said they would expand their attacks on Israeli vessels to the southern Indian Ocean.
In early May, Yemen's Houthi spokesman Sareya said that Houthi attacks on Israeli-linked ships would no longer be limited to the Red Sea region but would extend to the entire Mediterranean, and that Houthi leaders had ordered attacks on ships heading to Israeli ports from the Mediterranean.
Although experts say that Houthi drones and missiles will not be able to evade Israeli air defenses to reach the Mediterranean, it at least shows that the situation in the region continues to deteriorate after the entry into force of Security Council resolution 2722.
On June 25, Sarea announced that for the first time, the Houthis had hit an Israeli ship in the Arabian Sea with a new missile. On June 27, the Houthis used unmanned vessels to attack a Maltese-flagged cargo ship on the grounds that the ship owned a shipping company with vessels parked in Israeli ports.
Also on the 27th, the Houthis announced that they had coordinated with Iraq's "Islamic Resistance Group" and used missiles to attack an important Israeli target, but the Houthis did not report the results of the attack.
All of these incidents show that China's judgment is correct, and the relevant resolutions adopted by the Security Council have not been able to effectively contain the deterioration of the situation in the Red Sea.
After the vote, Geng Shuang, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, made a speech explaining why China had abstained again, which can be summarized in three points.
First of all, the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea have already had a serious impact on international trade, and it is reasonable for China to agree with the part of the resolution that calls on the Houthis to stop attacking civilian vessels and maintain the security of the Red Sea shipping lanes.
Secondly, the resolution has failed to make up for the shortcomings in resolution 2722, and there is still the possibility that some countries deliberately misinterpret and abuse the Security Council resolution, so China cannot vote in favor of this resolution.
Finally, Geng Shuang once again expressed China's position on this matter, stressing that the tension in the Red Sea is a manifestation of the spillover of the Gaza conflict, and that a ceasefire in Gaza must be achieved first if the Red Sea situation is to be cooled down. At the end of his speech, Geng Shuang said that China is willing to continue to work with the Security Council and the international community to promote an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, promote a political settlement of the Yemen issue, and jointly maintain peace and stability in the Middle East.