First it was pirates. Now it’s Yemen.

I‘ve early written that Somalia‘s pirates may be the accidental spark for greater Chinese military intervention in the region. Here‘s another spark. This article from China Energy Web worries that unrest in Yemen may threaten China‘s oil imports from the region.

The author says “The United States recognizes Yemen‘s geographic ability to choke China‘s oil import life lines“. He then hints that the United States may bring the war on terror to Yemen, and “strangle China‘s oil imports and strangle China‘s economy“. The rest of the article carries on in a similar tone.

Now, the author is a reporter, not an official. But the fact that he is considering Yemen in this manner raises the possibility that officials are as well. China certainly has strong commercial interests in Yemen, as I‘ve written about here and here. Many of its top Arabic-speaking diplomats have also served in the country.