CHINA PERSPECTIVE

China is closely watching the logistics restructuring triggered by the Hormuz closure. The South China Morning Post reports that Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE are advancing plans for rail-sea transport corridors linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean — decades-old proposals that the crisis is forcing to accelerate.

These new routes would flow from UAE and Oman ports through Saudi Arabia by rail to Jordan, then onward via Egypt's Suez Canal or Syrian ports at Latakia and Tartus. Beijing sees both opportunity and risk: opportunity for its Belt and Road infrastructure projects, but risk if routes bypass axes where China has already invested.

China confirmed receiving the US response to its 14-point peace plan, but Trump remains 'not satisfied.' China, massively dependent on Hormuz for its energy imports, has so far maintained careful neutrality, calling for a diplomatic solution without explicitly backing either Washington or Tehran.