ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called for upholding international law as tensions escalate in the Strait of Hormuz following US plans to impose a naval blockade on Iranian shipping.
“Stay committed to the principle of international rule of law,” Xi said in a statement released by China’s foreign ministry.
Xi added that “it is important to firmly uphold the international system with the U.N. at its core, the international order based on international law, and basic norms governing international relations underpinned by the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter.”
The Chinese president’s remarks come after a sharp escalation in the Gulf, where Iran has restricted access to the Strait of Hormuz since March 8 following a US and Israel-led military campaign launched against it on February 28.
The escalations took a turn for the worse after US President Donald Trump said Monday that Washington would impose a naval blockade on ships entering and leaving Iranian ports, prompting Tehran to warn it could target other ports across the Persian Gulf.
The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical global chokepoint, handling around 20 percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade, while more than 90 percent of Iran’s oil exports pass through it.