China has called on the international community to make greater efforts to promote the de-escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict and prevent regional instability from having a greater impact on global economic development.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Guo Jiakun made this remark given the mounting risk of a blockade of the Straits of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf.
He stressed that the Persian Gulf and the surrounding waters are an important international route for freight and energy.
Guo added that maintaining security and stability in the region is in the interest of the international community.
“Keeping this region safe is in everyone’s interest. We call on all nations to work harder to reduce the fighting and prevent more harm to the world’s economy.”
Guo Jiakun
Iran’s parliament on Sunday backed closing the vital strait through which much of the world’s crude oil and gas pass, in response to the bombing attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities by the United States over the weekend.
After the decision, a senior Iranian lawmaker, Esmaeil Kowsari, told reporters in Tehran that parliament has come to the conclusion that it should close the Hormuz Strait, but added that “the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council.”
The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had earlier asked China to help stop Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz. Rubio said in an interview, “If they [close the Straits]… it will be economic suicide for them and we retain options to deal with that,” he said.
The Strait of Hormuz is a key waterway that lies between Oman and Iran, and connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) describes it as the “world’s most important oil transit chokepoint.”
At its narrowest point, the waterway is just 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide, with the shipping lane just two miles wide in either direction, making it crowded and perilous.
Large volumes of crude extracted by OPEC countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq from oil fields across the Persian Gulf region and consumed globally flow through the strait.
According to data from Vortexa, an energy and freight market consultant, around 20 million barrels of crude, condensate and fuels are estimated to flow via the waterway daily.
Qatar, one of the world’s largest producers of liquefied natural gas (LNG), relies heavily on the strait to ship its LNG exports.
China is a major economic partner of Iran, drawing much of its crude oil from the Middle Eastern country.
Beijing also stands accused of providing Iran with goods important for military and civilian purposes.
The conflict between Israel and Iran has put renewed focus on security in the waterway.
Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz for traffic in retaliation to Western pressure.
Since the war between Israel and Iran broke out, however, there haven’t been any major attacks on commercial shipping in the region.
However, shipowners are increasingly wary of using the waterway.
China Warns Of ‘Spillover Of War’ Risk In Israel-Iran Conflict
Additionally, China urged the parties to the conflict to de-escalate in order to prevent the “spillover” of the war and return to the path of political resolution.
This came as aerial assaults raged between Iran and Israel early Monday while Tehran vowed retaliation over the bunker-buster bombs American warplanes unleashed at the weekend on three nuclear sites.
Guo disclosed that a few days ago, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi.
He added that China is willing to strengthen communication with Iran and other relevant parties to continue to play a constructive role in promoting de-escalation of the situation.
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