China urged to strengthen navy escorts and find other routes to secure energy supply

Global energy supply chains face significant disruption due to the Middle East conflict, prompting calls for China to enhance its naval escorts and diversify shipping routes. Industry analysts emphasize that Beijing must strengthen its capabilities to protect vital energy shipments, exploring alternative pathways to ensure a stable supply.

Lu Ruquan, president of the China National Petroleum Corporation Economics and Technology Research Institute, stressed the need for China to "strengthen escort capabilities, emergency responses and safety guarantees at critical nodes." His comments, published in the journal International Petroleum Economics, highlight the vulnerability exposed by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. This chokepoint's disruption since March has impacted shipments of oil, gas, and fertilizer, contributing to rising prices and inflation, with the US inflation rate reaching a three-year high of 4.2 percent in May.

However, a potential de-escalation emerged with reports of a US-Iran peace deal. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Thursday that the two nations had signed an agreement set to take immediate effect. This deal reportedly includes the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the lifting of the US naval blockade on Iran. An outline released by Washington indicates Iran will make efforts to ensure safe, fee-free passage for commercial vessels through the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman for 60 days, offering a glimmer of hope for stabilizing global energy flows.

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strengthen escort capabilities, emergency responses and safety guarantees at critical nodes