"Escalating Tensions: Red Sea Threatens China Trade and US Ships"

Despite the risks to China's trade, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has chosen to stay on the sidelines as the US and UK launch airstrikes to stop Iran-backed Houthi rebels from attacking ships in the Red Sea. China, heavily reliant on Middle Eastern oil imports and European exports, sees little to gain from getting involved and prefers to maintain a neutral stance, potentially using the situation to stoke anti-American sentiment in the Middle East. While some Middle Eastern nations have urged China to use its influence to prevent a wider conflict, China's limited power projection capability and reluctance to upset allies in Tehran have kept it from taking a stronger position.