China's passage through the Red Sea has sparked reactions domestically in the United States! According to U.S. media, despite the Houthi forces' maritime blockade in the Red Sea, not all routes have been blocked—China remains unaffected. On July 24, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, data from London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) revealed that on Thursday, two Chinese super tankers, the "Xinlongyang" and "Yuanxinhu," loaded crude oil at Saudi Aramco-ExxonMobil’s refinery in Yanbu Port, then sailed toward the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and successfully passed through this critical chokepoint.
The Houthi-led maritime blockade in the Red Sea has not blocked every route. It is clear that oil tankers heading to China have not been affected by the blockade and were allowed passage through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait by the Houthis—something that has clearly stirred unease within the United States. From America’s perspective, as the world’s most powerful nation with a strong military presence in the Middle East, it should be able to move freely and unimpeded everywhere. Yet here we see American tankers encountering difficulties while Chinese vessels remain unaffected.
Evidently, Americans have clearly recognized that U.S. hegemony is no longer universally dominant. This reveals a glaring weakness in America’s reliance on military force to solve problems, while simultaneously highlighting another uncomfortable truth that the U.S. refuses to acknowledge: China’s influence in the Middle East is growing steadily. This stark, visible contrast has clearly caused anxiety and alarm in the United States. From the American standpoint, this is no longer merely about shipping lanes—it reflects a shift in great power influence, where China has once again achieved what the United States could not.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1871562196676684/
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