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Maersk Hopes Int’l Interventions, Naval Presence Will Allow Red Sea Transit to Return

FILE PHOTO: Maersk's logo is seen in stored containers at Zona Franca in Barcelona, Spain, November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Albert Gea//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Maersk's logo is seen in stored containers at Zona Franca in Barcelona, Spain, November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Albert Gea//File Photo
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Maersk Hopes Int’l Interventions, Naval Presence Will Allow Red Sea Transit to Return

FILE PHOTO: Maersk's logo is seen in stored containers at Zona Franca in Barcelona, Spain, November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Albert Gea//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Maersk's logo is seen in stored containers at Zona Franca in Barcelona, Spain, November 3, 2022. REUTERS/Albert Gea//File Photo

Maersk hopes international interventions and a larger naval presence in the Red Sea will eventually lead to maritime commerce to resume through the strait, it said on Friday, following US-British strikes overnight against Houthi military targets in Yemen.

"We hope that these interventions and a larger naval presence will eventually lead to a lowered threat environment allowing maritime commerce to transit through the Red Sea and once again return to using the Suez Canal as a gateway," Maersk said in an emailed statement.

Shipping companies have redirected vessels away from the Red Sea around Africa's Cape of Good Hope after Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen stepped up attacks on vessels to show their support for Hamas fighting Israel in Gaza.

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China Seeks to Bolster Ports and Aviation Hubs in Western Regions

The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)
The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)
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China Seeks to Bolster Ports and Aviation Hubs in Western Regions

The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)
The city skyline is reflected in a pool left on the dry riverbed of the receding Jialing river, a tributary of the Yangtze, that is approaching record-low water levels during a regional drought in Chongqing, China, August 20, 2022. (Reuters)

China said on Sunday it would launch 15 measures to bolster the development of its western provinces with the construction of logistical infrastructure such as ports and aviation hubs.

The General Administration of Customs said the measures would enhance the integration of rail, air, river and sea links in China's west, state media reported.

The measures are to include enhancing international aviation hubs in cities including Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming, Xi'an and Urumqi, while developing comprehensive bonded zones, and integrating these with ports and other transport links.

A number of ports would also be built and expanded.

China has long sought to bolster the economic heft of its western regions, which have markedly lagged coastal provinces.

China's western regions comprise around two-thirds of the country's land area and include regions such as Sichuan, Chongqing, Yunnan, Xinjiang and Tibet.

China's Politburo last year called for a "new urbanization" of western China to revitalize rural areas, expand poverty alleviation efforts and strengthen energy resources. Efforts have also been made to increase linkages to Europe and South Asia through trade corridors including rail freight routes.