China publicly rebukes U.S. blockade

China publicly accused the United States on April 14 of turning the Strait of Hormuz crisis into a wider confrontation, calling the naval blockade of Iranian ports “dangerous and irresponsible.” (cnbc.com) Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the blockade would “exacerbate tensions,” threaten navigation, and undermine what Beijing described as an “already fragile ceasefire.” He said China wanted all sides to honor the ceasefire and return to talks. (english.news.cn) The U.S. action began at 10 a.m. Eastern time on April 13 after President Donald Trump announced that ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas would be blocked. Trump said the order targeted Iran’s maritime trade after U.S.-Iran peace talks broke down over the weekend. (cnbc.com) By April 14, the U.S. military said six merchant ships had complied with warnings from American forces and turned back. Reuters reported that no ships had made it past the blockade into or out of Iranian ports and coastal areas in the first day. (usnews.com) The fight centers on a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that carries roughly 20 million barrels a day of oil and petroleum products. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said flows through Hormuz in 2024 and early 2025 accounted for about one-fifth of global petroleum liquids consumption and about one-fifth of global liquefied natural gas trade. (eia.gov) That makes Beijing’s intervention more than a diplomatic protest. China is the world’s biggest crude importer, and Reuters said it remains the largest buyer of Iranian oil, giving it a direct stake in whether tankers can move through the Gulf without interruption. (yahoo.com) Shipping data already showed the pressure spreading beyond Iranian ports. Lloyd’s List Intelligence, cited by the United States Naval Institute on April 14, said at least seven ships initially reversed course after the U.S. announced the blockade, though four later resumed their planned routes. (news.usni.org) Some vessels still tested the route. Reuters reported on April 14 that sanctioned tankers continued transiting the strait, including ships linked to Iranian cargoes bound for other Gulf ports and Asia, even as commercial traffic thinned. (yahoo.com) Washington says the blockade is aimed at cutting off Iranian revenue and forcing concessions after failed diplomacy. China says the same move risks widening the war at the world’s most important oil chokepoints and wants a comprehensive ceasefire before maritime traffic worsens further. (nytimes.com)