China’s foreign ministry on Monday urged immediate de‑escalation after former US president Donald Trump said he was negotiating with several countries to form an escort force to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. At a regular press briefing in Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the recent tensions in and around the strait were disrupting international trade and energy flows and risked further destabilising the region and world markets.
Trump has told followers he is in talks with seven countries and that Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom have expressed a willingness to send ships to the Gulf. Beijing’s spokesman stopped short of confirming whether Washington had approached China about joining any such arrangement, saying only that China reiterated its call for all parties to halt military activities and avoid escalation.
The response is consistent with Beijing’s long‑standing public posture toward regional maritime flashpoints: emphasise diplomacy and the protection of trade while avoiding direct military confrontation. The Strait of Hormuz is a strategic chokepoint through which a large share of global oil shipments pass; any armed escort mission risks incidents at sea, complications with regional actors such as Iran, and ripple effects for global energy prices and shipping insurance costs.
Beyond immediate security concerns, a US‑led escort coalition would carry broader geopolitical consequences. For Washington, assembling partners would signal resolve and attempt to share operational burdens. For Beijing, the prospect forces a delicate calculation between defending unfettered access to energy and trade routes and preserving relationships with Gulf states and Iran while resisting alignment with a US initiative that could inflame tensions.
China’s terse reply — a call to stop military action and no confirmation that it had been asked to participate — leaves open multiple paths. It allows Beijing to signal unease about military escalation without taking a public side, preserving diplomatic flexibility. How Beijing responds if formally invited will be a revealing test of whether it is prepared to convert economic dependence on Middle Eastern energy into a more active security role in international waters.