“Many bloody lessons have taught us that force as the main means cannot solve the problem, but instead makes the situation worse and more complicated,” says an editorial in the Global Times. “Ultimately, we have to return to the path of political settlement,” including in the cases of Israel-Gaza and in relations with the Houthis.
Noting that the UN Security Council resolution passed last week—from which China, Russia, Algeria, and Mozambique abstained—calls for “the Houthis [to] immediately cease all such attacks, which impede global commerce and undermine navigational rights and freedoms as well as regional peace and security,” the Chinese publication points out that it does not legitimize military strikes on Yemen.
The issue must be seen in context: “Whether it is the current Red Sea crisis or the protracted conflict in Gaza, the real solution to the problem has always been clear, which is to immediately implement a ceasefire in Gaza,” the Jan. 12 editorial says.
“U.S. defense officials said the strike was intended to thread the needle—pressing the Houthis to quit their attacks without spurring more conflicts in the volatile region. Threading the needle can be regarded as progress in U.S. thinking, but can it achieve this via force? Can this restore peace in the Red Sea?” asks the editorial. “The answer is obviously no.”
