China urges opening Bab al-Mandeb in first joint statement with regional nation

In its first formal statement with a Red Sea nation on the fallout from the US-Iran war, China said in a joint communique with Djibouti that it backs “constructive efforts” to ensure international shipping lanes are safe and open. The statement on Thursday was released a day after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Djiboutian counterpart Abdoulkader Houssein Omar met in Beijing. “The two sides emphasised the importance of safeguarding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Bab...