China calls US Hormuz blockade ‘dangerous, irresponsible’
The blockade would only 'exacerbate tensions, undermine the already fragile ceasefire and further threaten the safety of navigation,' the Chinese Foreign Ministry says.
China has called the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz “dangerous and irresponsible.”
Washington’s blockade would only “exacerbate tensions, undermine the already fragile ceasefire and further threaten the safety of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday during a regular news conference in Beijing, according to the China News Service.
Beijing believes that only a “comprehensive ceasefire” can fundamentally create conditions to ease tensions in the strait, Guo said.
He urged all parties to abide by the ceasefire agreement, focus on dialogue and negotiations, and take concrete steps to de-escalate the situation and restore “normal navigation” in the strait as soon as possible.
Guo also said that Beijing has consistently taken a “prudent and responsible approach” to military exports and enforces strict controls in line with its export control laws and international obligations, when asked about reports that China had provided military support to Iran.
He called the reports entirely “fabricated,” stating: “If the US insists on using this as a pretext to impose additional tariffs on China, China will resolutely take countermeasures.”
Threatening with extra tariffs
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who is scheduled to visit Beijing next month for talks with counterpart Xi Jinping, said on Sunday he would hit China’s goods with a 50 percent tariff if it provided military assistance to Tehran.
His comments came the same day US outlet CNN reported that US intelligence indicated China was preparing to deliver new air defence systems to Iran within the next few weeks, citing three people familiar with the assessments.
Over the weekend, The New York Times quoted US officials as saying US intelligence suggested Beijing might have already sent a shipment of shoulder-fired missiles.
China is a key economic partner of Iran — it buys most of the Middle Eastern country’s oil.
But the countries have no formal military pact, and many analysts say Beijing largely sees the relationship between the two as transactional.
China also has strong economic ties to the Gulf countries, and has criticised Iran’s attacks on them over the course of the war.
