China and Djibouti said all countries should enjoy freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Their foreign ministers set out the position in a joint statement after meeting in Beijing, and both expressed concern about the deteriorating security situation.
Djibouti sits across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthis have been battling Saudi-backed government forces and seeking to control the whole Yemeni Red Sea coast, disrupting some shipping. The barren former French colony, about the size of Wales, lies between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia. In 2017 China formally opened its first overseas military base there. Djibouti also hosts US, Japanese and French bases.
The joint statement, released early on Thursday and carried by China's official Xinhua news agency, said both sides stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the strait. It "emphasised that the right of merchant ships of all countries to exercise navigation rights in accordance with international law should be respected".
The statement said: "Both sides believe that in governing and securing the Red Sea, the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and wishes of the Red Sea littoral states should be genuinely respected, avoiding any increase in the overall security risks of the region." China supports those littoral states in "constructively maintaining" the safety and smooth flow of international shipping lanes.
Neither country wants regional tensions to spill further into the Red Sea. The statement added that "major powers outside the region" should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of regional countries and avoid resorting to force and unilateral sanctions.
The statement came as the US State Department ordered some diplomats and family members to depart from its missions in Saudi Arabia following the escalation of the fighting in Yemen, which the report said has opened another front in the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran.