Foreign ships raise colors of justice and fairness: China Daily editorial

The security threats some foreign merchant vessels face while sailing in the waters of the Middle East are an effect caused by the United States' gunboat approach to the region.

Although the US boasts of the precision of what it calls "surgical" strikes, its bombs and missiles still result in collateral damage, indirect as well as direct in the case of the attacks on commercial shipping.

For instance, it was the air strikes carried out by the US and some of its allies on Houthi targets in Yemen, which the US claimed threatened Israel's security, that escalated tensions in the Red Sea region since last year, triggering attacks on commercial shipping.

And it was the US' illegitimate bombing of Iran last month citing the Islamic republic's alleged "nuclear threat" to the region that put vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz in the crosshairs.

These reckless moves, rather than resolving the issues they were intended to address, have only made the situations worse. By carrying out these attacks, the US is not intent on resolving the Middle East crisis but instead helping its regional ally, Israel, better do the "dirty work" on the ground in Gaza, and in weakening Iran.

This has led to a growing number of foreign vessels flying the Chinese national flag while transiting the Strait of Hormuz to avoid being targeted. China's consistent adherence to fairness, justice and win-win cooperation has ensured the safety of Chinese ships in the Middle East, as "justice resides in people's hearts", as Jiang Bin, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said when answering questions on the matter at a news conference on Tuesday.

This is not the first time such questions have been raised in the news conferences of Chinese ministries. Actually since the Middle East crisis broke out in October 2023, it has become increasingly common for some foreign vessels to present themselves as Chinese ships while transiting strategic waterways in the region. But only after the root causes are addressed can the problem be resolved. Even though the US pretends to be a leading "peace-maker" to help end the Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza that was triggered by Hamas' attacks on Israel on Oct 7, 2023, the fast expansion of the conflict from Gaza to multiple spots across the Middle East, and the way the humanitarian crisis has unfolded in the Palestinian enclave unmistakably expose the US to be saying one thing while doing another.

It is the beneficiaries of the Middle East crisis that have been dragging it out and escalating the tensions, be it for personal political gain or the commercial and geostrategic interests of certain interest groups. But it is the whole world that is footing the bill for their actions.

Both the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf are important channels for the transportation of goods and energy. That Chinese vessels are not attacked does not give rise to schadenfreude. Considerable volumes of Chinese imports and exports are shipped by foreign vessels. And as a global manufacturing powerhouse, the country is not immune to the impact of these attacks, which are markedly disturbing the stability of the global industry and supply chains, raising the cost of international logistics.

China condemns any attacks on civilian ships, and urges those concerned to practice restraint. It calls on all parties to play a constructive and responsible role in maintaining safety in the international waterways. China approaches regional hotspot issues, including the Palestine issue and the Middle East crisis, based on justice and peace. It has consistently urged the implementation of the "two-state solution", and both Israel and Iran to resolve their differences through dialogue and seek a path to peaceful coexistence.

As the Defense Ministry spokesman said, China will continue to stand on the side of peace, justice and the right course of history, contributing stability and positive energy to the safeguarding of regional and global peace with all like-minded pro-peace partners.

The US should realize that war is never the solution to a problem. Instead it only creates new ones. The immediate priority is to take concrete steps to prevent further escalation of the conflict and avoid plunging the region into greater turmoil. To resolve the issues related to the Middle East a return to diplomatic means is necessary.