STUDENT ARRESTED FOR FILMING CLASSROOM ASSAULT ON TEACHER IN MALAYSIA. (PHOTO).
All countries should enjoy freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, China and Djibouti said in a joint statement following a meeting of their foreign ministers in Beijing, expressing concern about the deteriorating security situation.
Djibouti sits on the other side of 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.
In 2017, China formally opened its first overseas military base in Djibouti. The barren former French colony, which is about the size of Wales, is sandwiched between Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, and also hosts US, Japanese and French bases.
The joint statement, released early on Oct 22, said both China and Djibouti stressed the importance of maintaining freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the strait, and “emphasised that the right of merchant ships of all countries to exercise navigation rights in accordance with international law should be respected”, Reuters reported.
“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.”
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