A Chinese satellite company linked to its military is supplying the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen with imagery to target US warships, according to American officials in a report from the Financial Times.
The Trump administration has repeatedly warned Beijing that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. Ltd. (CGSTL), a commercial group with ties to the People’s Liberation Army, is providing the Houthis with the intelligence, said officials.
“The United States has raised our concerns privately numerous times to the Chinese government on Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co Ltd’s role in supporting the Houthis in order to get Beijing to take action,” said a senior State Department official in a statement.
The official added that China had “ignored” the concerns and said CGSTL’s actions and “Beijing’s tacit support,” despite Washington’s warnings, were “yet another example of China’s empty claims to support peace.”
“We urge our partners to judge the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese companies on their actions, not their empty words,” said the official.
In addition to targeting American ships, the Houthis started attacking vessels in the Red Sea, a critical maritime route for global trade, and the US Navy, after Israel launched a brutal onslaught against the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
The Trump administration has made addressing the situation in the Red Sea a priority with concerns that the Houthis continue to pose a threat to the global economy.
“Beijing should take this priority seriously when considering any future support to CGSTL,” said the official.