Chinese President Xi Jinping took a veiled dig at Washington during a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Tuesday, asserting that the “international order is crumbling into disarray”.
In another meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed, Xi committed that China will “continue to play a constructive role” in the Middle East, emphasizing that the world should not “revert to the law of the jungle,” reported Forbes.
China has vehemently condemned the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports along the Strait of Hormuz, labeling it as a “dangerous and irresponsible act”.
Guo Jiakun, the spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, expressed concerns that the escalated U.S. military presence in the region, coupled with the blockade, could destabilize an already fragile ceasefire. He added that China believes a “comprehensive ceasefire” can help ease the crisis in the Middle East.
Guo’s comments mark a more assertive stance against the blockade, succeeding a prior statement urging “restraint” from all parties involved in the conflict.
China Denies Arms Claim Amid Blockade Row
The recent condemnation by China follows a series of warnings from President Donald Trump. On Saturday, Trump cautioned Beijing of “big problems” if it supplied Iran with air defense systems.
This was followed by Trump’s threat of imposing a 50% tariff on China on Sunday at an interview with Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” after a report suggested that Beijing was planning to deliver a shipment of new air defense systems to Iran.
Beijing spokesperson Guo refuted the claims of China supplying weapons to Iran as “completely fabricated”.
Meanwhile, the U.S. blockade took effect on Monday, but maritime data by Kpler showed some sanctioned tankers still passing through the strait, reported Reuters. One such vessel, the Rich Starry, owned by Shanghai Xuanrun Shipping Co and previously sanctioned by the U.S. in 2023, reportedly carried 250,000 barrels of methanol through the waterway, though its exact routing remains unclear, reported Reuters.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
Recent Comments