China and Djibouti issued a joint statement following a meeting of their foreign ministers in Beijing stating that all countries should enjoy freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait. The two countries expressed concern about the deteriorating security situation.
Djibouti sits on the opposite side of the Bab El-Mandab Strait from Yemen. In Yemen, Iran-backed Houthis have been battling Saudi-backed government forces and seeking to control the whole Yemeni Red Sea coast, disrupting some shipping.