Damietta Port Attack: Why China Fears a New Threat to the Belt and Road

Chinese research centers, in their analyses of the Middle East, specifically after the attack on the Egyptian port of Damietta on July 29, 2026, and the fire that broke out on two ships (a floating regasification facility and a gas tanker) in the port of Damietta, caused by an unknown drone, and the targeting of two ships, one of which was a regasification vessel (containing parts belonging to an American company) by a drone, focus on de-escalation and protecting international trade routes and energy security, while China puts forward a number of conspiracy theories and hypotheses concerning groups, such as…