China Calls for Early Restoration of Free and Safe Passage Through the Strait of Hormuz

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday (13 July 2026) at a Beijing briefing that an early resumption of free and safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz serves the interests of all sides, and that China stands ready to keep communicating with relevant countries and the international community on the matter. The remarks followed US President Donald Trump's reinstatement of a naval blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz and a 20 percent fee imposed on other cargo, as the United States and Iran exchanged strikes for a third consecutive day.

China is the largest buyer of Iranian crude and a major consumer of oil shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that carries roughly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade. Reduced transit and higher risk in the strait bear directly on Iran's oil export flows and on global energy prices.