Could China’s COSCO halting ships to Israel spark crisis in Sino-Israeli relations?

News Snapshot:

January 11, 2024 Since the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen stepped up attacks on vessels in the Red Sea bound for Israel in November in response to the war in Gaza, Israel's southern port of Eilat has seen a sharp decline in activity. However, because much of Israel’s trade is via the Mediterranean Sea, the country’s domestic market has not been badly impacted. But that may have changed this week after COSCO, a shipping company owned by the Chinese government, notified importers and exporters that it is halting all ships bound for Israel. Several shipping companies have said they would...