America’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz is “dangerous and irresponsible,” a spokesman from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
The Chinese official argued that the U.S. blockade, which is only related to vessels going to or from Iranian ports, risks undermining “an already fragile ceasefire.”
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“This will only aggravate confrontation, escalate tension, undermine the already fragile ceasefire, and further jeopardize safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. It is a dangerous and irresponsible move,” Guo Jiakun said.
The U.S. military began blocking ships from going to or coming from Iranian ports on Monday in an effort to force Iran to reopen the strait for ships sailing from all Gulf countries. Since the war began in late February, Iran has shut down shipping in the strait, which has caused energy prices to skyrocket throughout the conflict.
On the first day of the U.S. blockade, no ships from Iranian ports made it past U.S. vessels, and six merchant ships complied with U.S. directives to turn around, according to U.S. Central Command. More than a dozen warships, 10,000 service members, and 100 fighter and surveillance aircraft are involved in the effort.
American and Iranian officials met in Islamabad, Pakistan, last weekend in their first meeting since the war began, but the two sides left without a deal in place.
“Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court, because we put a lot on the table,” Vice President JD Vance, who led the U.S. delegation, said in a Fox News interview.
He said there are two subjects in which the United States has “no flexibility,” in its negotiating stance: securing and removing Iran’s enriched uranium, which is believed to be buried underground in the facilities U.S. forces destroyed in the June 2025 attacks, and the implementation of verification mechanisms to ensure Iran does not seek a nuclear weapon.
China has long supported the regime in Tehran and has a significant interest in the strait reopening, considering it is Iran’s largest buyer of Iranian crude oil. The U.S. blockade could have far-reaching implications for Beijing.
Guo also denied reports that Beijing has sent weapons to Tehran for the war, calling reports citing U.S. intelligence “purely fabricated.”
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Chinese President Xi Jinping issued his own criticism, saying, “We cannot allow the world to revert to the law of the jungle.”
The dispute between China and the U.S. comes at a delicate moment in the countries’ relationship. Trump is set to visit Beijing next month, a trip originally scheduled for March.
