China Deeply Concerned Over Return of Military Operations to Gulf Region

China has expressed deep concern over the resumption of military conflict in the Gulf region, calling for restraint and a swift return to normal navigation through the Strait of Hormuz after US President Donald Trump reinstated a naval blockade on Iranian ships transiting the vital waterway.

"China is deeply concerned over resumed military conflict in the Gulf region," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday. He urged the relevant parties to "heed the strong call for peace and stability from the region and beyond, remain calm and exercise restraint, safeguard the hard-won ceasefire, avoid the return of war and, more importantly, prevent the fighting from spreading and hurting more innocent people."

A Call to Respect Coastal States' Rights

Lin emphasized that the international community wants to see "respect for the lawful rights and interests of the coastal countries of the Strait of Hormuz, and an early resumption of normal and safe passage in the strait," adding that "relevant parties need to work in the same direction and seek a proper settlement." He said China stood ready to engage further on the matter with the parties involved and the wider international community.

Why the Strait Matters to Beijing

China's concern is rooted in significant economic exposure. Although not a party to the conflict, Beijing is deeply affected by it as Iran's largest oil buyer and as an economy heavily dependent on the strait for both energy imports and export shipping. Roughly a third of China's oil imports transit the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20 percent of the world's seaborne oil trade and a fifth of global liquefied natural gas typically pass.

That exposure has, at points during the broader conflict, made Beijing less supportive of Tehran than usual, with Chinese leadership repeatedly pressing for the strait to be reopened. Chinese President Xi Jinping personally intervened earlier in the crisis, and China has publicly urged Iran to follow through on its commitments under the US-Iran memorandum of understanding, while framing the strait's normal operation as serving "the common interests of regional countries and the international community."

The Trigger: A Reinstated Blockade

Beijing's latest statement came directly in response to Trump's announcement that the United States would reimpose its blockade on Iranian ports, blocking all ships from entering or leaving Iran, following the collapse of the June ceasefire framework. The renewed hostilities have seen the US carry out multiple rounds of strikes on Iranian military sites, while Iran has launched retaliatory attacks on US-linked sites and Gulf states including Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.

In a notable development on Tuesday, Trump announced he was backing away from a proposed 20 percent US "reimbursement fee" on cargo transiting the strait, saying he would instead replace it with trade and investment deals from Gulf states — a shift that followed what he described as highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership.

China's Measured Distance

Despite its concern, analysts note that China has signaled little appetite for direct involvement in the Gulf conflict, seeing limited benefit in being drawn into the crisis militarily. While Beijing reportedly played a behind-the-scenes role in an earlier US-Iran ceasefire, its public posture has focused on diplomatic appeals for de-escalation and the protection of shipping, rather than any active mediation or military role of its own.

What to Watch

With the US blockade set to take effect and Iran continuing to restrict passage through the strait to approved vessels only, attention now turns to whether Trump's pivot away from transit fees toward investment deals can ease tensions, whether shipping and oil flows can resume, and whether major stakeholders like China press harder for a diplomatic settlement as the standoff drags on.