New Delhi: Signalling growing concern over disruptions, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has asked Iran to ensure “freedom and safety of international navigation” through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a first such call by Beijing ever since Tehran started to halt maritime traffic on the critical waterway in the midst of its war with the United States (US). The message was conveyed during a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Wednesday.
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Wang underscored the urgency of stabilising maritime flows through the strait, even as he acknowledged Iran’s sovereign position. “The current situation has reached a critical stage of transition between conflict and peace, and a window for peace is opening,” Wang said, according to a statement by China’s foreign ministry.
He added: “At the same time, the freedom and safety of international navigation through the strait should also be ensured, and efforts to restore normal transit through the strait are a shared call of the international community.”
Wang also said Iran, as a coastal state, must have its “sovereignty, security and legitimate rights and interests respected and safeguarded.”
China’s intervention comes against the backdrop of mounting energy security concerns. As the largest importer of Iranian crude and a key strategic partner, Beijing is increasingly exposed to disruptions caused by the US blockade, which has halted shipments of oil and gas from Iranian ports.
The Strait of Hormuz — a narrow 55-km maritime corridor between Iran and Oman — handles nearly a fifth of global oil trade, making it one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.
The outreach also coincided with renewed diplomatic activity. A Pakistani delegation led by Field Marshal Asim Munir arrived in Tehran on Wednesday with proposals aimed at facilitating a second round of US-Iran talks in Islamabad.
The latest push follows an earlier round of negotiations over the weekend that failed to yield a breakthrough, with differences persisting over Iran’s nuclear programme and access through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran, for its part, signalled openness to continued engagement. Araghchi said Tehran expects China to play a more active role in advancing peace efforts and added that Iran is willing to pursue a “rational and realistic solution through peaceful negotiations,” according to the South China Morning Post.
Even as it engages Tehran, Beijing has taken a critical stance on Washington’s actions. China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday described the US blockade as “dangerous and irresponsible,” warning that it risks escalating tensions and undermining an already fragile ceasefire.
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The reopening of the Strait has emerged as a central demand from US President Donald Trump, alongside calls for Iran to halt its nuclear programme, further raising the stakes in an already volatile standoff.