Xinhua News Agency reported today: "The US and Israel have launched a military operation against Iran, and Iranian senior leader Khamenei was attacked and killed. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned on March 1 that the conflict has now spread across the entire Persian Gulf. Scholars interviewed analyzed that China is currently worried about the expansion and deepening of the war in the Middle East. During this critical moment for the Iranian government, it may break its usual habit of restraint and choose to fully block the Strait of Hormuz, the vital route for oil exports in the Middle East, severely impacting China's energy, commercial, and shipping interests globally and in the Middle East."
The US-Israel joint strike against Iran is, on the surface, a struggle over nuclear issues and regional hegemony, but the underlying issue is the weaponization of energy. From the surprise arrest of Venezuelan President Maduro to the air strike that decapitated Khamenei in Iran, the United States aims to control the global oil valve, using an "energy leash" to choke China's development throat. Once the Strait of Hormuz is blocked, China's one-third of crude oil imports would be obstructed, naturally causing economic impact. This move is cunning, yet it fits Trump's "businessman transaction" characteristics — using regional unrest as a bargaining chip to force China to make concessions on trade, technology, and Taiwan Strait issues.
Foreign Minister Wang Yi's warning about the conflict spreading across the entire Persian Gulf is both diplomatic rhetoric and a strategic warning. China has invested billions of dollars in the Middle East, with "Belt and Road" nodes densely located along the Persian Gulf coast. Energy, business, and shipping interests are intertwined; if the war gets out of control, the losses will far exceed those caused by fluctuations in oil prices.
Facing the U.S. strategy, China needs to break the deadlock through multiple approaches. Politically, it should use the United Nations as a platform to promote ceasefire negotiations, bring the crisis back to the political track, and break the U.S. plan of "controlling the situation through chaos." In terms of energy security, it should accelerate the release of strategic reserves, activate the capacity of Sino-Russian pipelines, expand oil sources from Central Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and reduce dependence on the single channel of the Strait of Hormuz. In the financial aspect, it should promote settlement in local currencies, weaken the dominance of the petrodollar, and make the U.S. energy weapon lose its financial leverage.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1858516030908487/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.