CHINA PERSPECTIVE
GULF CRISIS: WASHINGTON REINSTATES HORMUZ BLOCKADE AS OIL SURGES
DOMINANT ANGLE
Beijing is assessing the risks of an escalation in the Gulf, which directly threatens its energy security and supply routes
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
ANALYSIS
Beijing, July 14, 2026. Beijing is closely watching with caution the ripple effects of the latest escalation between the US and Tehran. Following US strikes on Iran's coast and Tehran's renewed announcement to close the Strait of Hormuz, retaliatory attacks on American targets in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Jordan have plunged the Gulf into its worst episode of tension since the start of the year. Oil prices have surged by about 9%, a shock that Chinese diplomacy is monitoring even more closely given the country's massive dependence on energy supplies passing through this maritime route.
Before the UN Security Council meeting on Friday, Sun Lei, China's deputy permanent representative, called on "all parties concerned" to preserve the ceasefire and prioritize "dialogue and diplomacy" as the "only viable way" to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue. He recalled that the agreement protocol signed between the US and Tehran committed both capitals to mutually respect their sovereignty, cease all military activity, and pave the way for the lifting of sanctions - a framework that Beijing now considers fragile.
Commercial traffic in the strait has collapsed as the strikes intensified, with the closure ordered by Tehran after the interception of a Cypriot-flagged ship. The US has also announced plans to impose a 20% transit tax on all non-Iranian traffic using the strait, a measure that concerns Chinese interests given the volume of crude oil shipped to Asia.
Another signal being closely watched in Beijing is a US strike that targeted a bridge linking Iran to Central Asia, Russia, and China, an alternative land route used by Iranian trade when the maritime route is blocked - proof, according to analysts cited by the Hong Kong press, that the confrontation now goes beyond the naval blockade to affect continental supply corridors.
KEY POINTS
- China's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Sun Lei, called on July 11 to preserve the ceasefire and prioritize "dialogue and diplomacy" on the Iranian nuclear issue
- Oil prices surged by about 9% after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and US strikes on Iran
- The Chinese government is closely monitoring the situation as the US announced a 20% transit tax on non-Iranian commercial traffic passing through the Strait of Hormuz, in addition to the blockade targeting Iranian vessels
COGNITIVE BIASES IDENTIFIED
Beijing's security framing focuses on the energy security impact of the blockade and rising oil prices on Asian importers, rather than the military operations
China's government prefers the UN diplomatic channel: official Chinese statements at the UN Security Council are highlighted as a key reference point
Low coverage of human losses in Gulf countries (Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan) in favor of economic and logistical consequences for trade routes
SOURCES (2)
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