China warns of "tense" situation in Hormuz, sidesteps US request for ships

China avoided directly answering questions about whether it would send naval vessels to the Strait of Hormuz, hours after US President Donald Trump publicly urged Beijing to help secure the critical shipping route, CNN reports.

During a press briefing, China’s foreign ministry again voiced concern over rising tensions in the Middle East and the impact on global stability, but made no reference to deploying ships to the strategic waterway.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian described the situation around the Strait of Hormuz as “tense,” warning it could have wider economic consequences.

“China once again calls on all parties to immediately cease military actions, avoid further escalation of tensions, and prevent regional turbulence from inflicting greater impacts on global economic development,” Lin said.

Trump had earlier suggested that China should play a role in safeguarding the vital oil transit route. In an interview with the Financial Times, he said he might delay a planned summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding: “China should help too because China gets 90% of its oil from the Straits.”

Asked about the remarks, Lin emphasized the importance of leader-level engagement between the two countries.

“Head-of-state diplomacy plays an indispensable role in providing strategic guidance to China-US relations. The two sides remain in communication regarding President Trump’s visit to China,” he said.

Lin also sidestepped a question on whether Beijing had received any request from Washington to deploy naval assets near the Strait of Hormuz.

China is not the only country being pressed by the United States to contribute to securing the waterway. On March 14, Trump said that “hopefully, China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others” would send naval assets to help reopen shipping lanes in the strait, which has effectively been closed since the outbreak of the war.

By Vafa Guliyeva