Will China send warships to the Strait of Hormuz?
US President Donald Trump has drawn various comments and views for launching an offensive on Iran, leading to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Now, Trump is asking China and other countries to help by sending military ships to escort other vessels. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Lim Zhan Ting tells us more.
US President Donald Trump has called on China and several other countries to send warships to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blockaded by Iran. However, experts interviewed pointed out that China has consistently advocated a political solution to the Iran issue, and has so far responded in a relatively cautious and restrained manner, making it unlikely that it would take part in such escort operations.
Begging for assistance
Chinese media mocked Trump for wanting China to “help clean up the mess”, and commented that Washington’s goal has shifted from toppling the Iranian regime to reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
On 14 March, Trump wrote on social media platform Truth Social that “Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.”
He went on to list China, France, Japan, South Korea and the UK, saying he hoped these countries would send ships “so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to Trump on X, saying that “US is now begging others, even China, to help it make Hormuz safe”.
China’s response
After the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran in late February, Tehran retaliated, including by playing its “killer move” of blocking oil tankers from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, hitting the global oil and gas industry and disrupting global shipping and trade.
... the country is unlikely to deploy military forces to escort oil tankers and even less willing to risk a military confrontation with Iran, as “this does not align with China’s political objectives”. — Song Zhongping, a Chinese military commentator
According to the Financial Times, Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese embassy in the US, said in response to queries that China calls for an immediate stop to military operations to avoid the spiralling escalation of the situation, and that all parties have “the responsibility to ensure stable and unimpeded energy supply”. He did not however comment directly on how China would respond to Trump’s appeal.
In an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Chinese military commentator Song Zhongping analysed that Trump now wants to spread the burden and make more oil-consuming countries that benefit from the Gulf foot the bill, adding that “Trump thinks China should pay for security”.
However, Song noted that China has consistently advocated resolving Middle East conflicts through political means. Thus, the country is unlikely to deploy military forces to escort oil tankers and even less willing to risk a military confrontation with Iran, as “this does not align with China’s political objectives”.
He added, “Japan, South Korea and some European countries — especially US allies — may do so, but China will not.”
“Participating in such a coalition with the US also places China in a difficult position, as they have called out the US over its strikes...” — Associate Professor Dylan Loh, Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme, NTU
Dylan Loh, an associate professor at the Public Policy and Global Affairs programme at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, concurred that China would remain cautious and adopt a wait and see approach, and is unlikely to participate at this stage.
Loh explained in an interview that China’s approach so far has been quite moderate and cautious, criticising the strikes while refraining from more strident and direct criticism of Trump.
He said, “Participating in such a coalition with the US also places China in a difficult position, as they have called out the US over its strikes, so I think it’s unlikely for them to do so at this stage.”
Oil prices affecting the world
A commentary by the WeChat account Niu Tan Qin (牛谈琴), which has ties to official media, mocked the situation, saying: “The whole world is stunned, and even Iran seems not to know whether to laugh or cry… The US is actually begging China to help clean up the mess.”
The commentary argued that the US’s current objective is no longer to overthrow the Iranian regime, but to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. If the strait remains blocked, causing global oil prices to surge, the entire world would suffer.
“In the US, oil prices carry particular political significance — unless Trump truly does not care about the midterm elections.” — a commentary by the WeChat account Niu Tan Qin (牛谈琴)
The commentary said: “In the US, oil prices carry particular political significance — unless Trump truly does not care about the midterm elections. So Trump is in a hurry, even directly appealing to China, France, the UK, Japan and South Korea to help clean up the mess.”
Among the other countries named by Trump, Takayuki Kobayashi, the policy chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, said the threshold for Japan to deploy its navy ships would be “extremely high”. A South Korean official said the country would communicate closely with the US and make a decision after careful review. A spokesperson for the UK Ministry of Defence said it was discussing a range of options with allies and partners, while the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs stated that France’s aircraft carrier would remain in the eastern Mediterranean.
This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “特朗普吁请中国派军舰到霍尔木兹海峡 专家指中国响应可能性低”.
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