China expert Gordon Chang told Newsmax on Monday that Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to be prioritizing the communist nation's inroads in the Middle East over its economy.
"My guess is that the Chinese economy comes in second on this one because Xi Jinping has basically gone all-in on Iran, hoping that Iran will disrupt the world, and we know that Chinese diplomats in the region have been back-channeling saying, Look, the United States can't protect the Red Sea and so therefore you need to submit to China," Chang said during an appearance on "American Agenda."
"And by the way, if we want any evidence of where Xi Jinping's priorities are, over the weekend when the U.S. was counterstriking, on Friday and Saturday, an Iranian ship actually sought refuge in China's naval base in Djibouti close by and the Chinese granted it," he continued. "So clearly we know what China is doing here."
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have for weeks launched attacks on cargo ships traveling in the Red Sea, disrupting international trade with delays and driving up shipping costs.
Following retaliatory airstrikes in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen over the weekend for the deaths of three U.S. service members in an Iranian drone attack late last month, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that the U.S. plans to launch further strikes.
The United States and Britain struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen in the attacks, as well as Tehran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria.
The strikes are the latest move in a conflict that has engulfed the Middle East since Oct. 7, when Palestinian militant group Hamas stormed Israel's southern border from the Gaza Strip in a brutal massacre.
Terror groups backed by Tehran and declaring support for the Palestinians have entered the conflict across the region, with Hezbollah firing at Israeli targets on the Lebanese-Israeli border, Iraqi militias firing on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and the Houthis firing on vessels in the Red Sea and at Israel itself.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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