Will China Help Reopen Hormuz? in International Shipping News 23/05/2026 T he long-awaited visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to Beijing to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping took place on Thursday. According to the U.S. State Department, both sides agreed that tolls should not be imposed on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. However, it remains unclear how far China is willing to use its leverage over Iran to help reopen the waterway. Vessel traffic through Hormuz began falling sharply shortly after the war started on 28 February. Crossings through the strait remain in the single digits, while supply disruptions from the region have already exceeded 800 million barrels and are expected to rise further if the stalemate continues. Despite China’s heavy reliance on the strait—through which roughly 40% of its oil imports pass—Beijing appears to be pursuing a strategy of deliberate patience, allowing Washington to become increasingly entangled in a costly and open-ended confrontation with Iran. What initially appeared to be a decisive show of force has, due to poor forward planning, evolved into a stagnant and prolonged conflict. The Strait of Hormuz remains restricted by Iran, while the threat of further escalation continues to loom over the region. Despite the grand rhetoric, it is becoming increasingly clear that Trump wants to see both an end to the conflict and the reopening of Hormuz. China can afford to wait. Visible oil inventories in China exceed 1.1 billion barrels and, according to recent data, continue to build. In fact, China appears so confident in their position that they’ve been willing to export crude oil—and reportedly even reexport barrels that would normally have been retained for domestic imports—while simultaneously reducing import volumes. Despite this, Chinese inventory levels have not shown meaningful declines. Nevertheless, Beijing also has reasons to want the conflict resolved. Earlier this year, Trump’s intervention in Venezuela and ti