Beijing braces for economic impact as Iran war threatens Chinese oil:

Beijing: China braces for full US-Israeli economic impact war with iran as their energy supplies are severely affected. China is the world’s largest energy importer, and the disruption to oil imports caused by the conflict could be a potential Achilles’ heel for Beijing, just weeks before President Trump’s highly anticipated state visit to China.

China imports 70% of its overall oil and gas and most of its energy comes from the Persian Gulf, according to analysis by Det Norske Veritas, an independent global risk management and assurance provider.

Henry Wang, president of the Center for China and Globalization, told News themezone on Tuesday that China’s supply line will be seriously affected by what he calls a “man-made crisis.”

“I think this will certainly hurt China, but it won’t be limited to just China, I think the whole world will be hurt. Strait of Hormuz has been blocked and will affect not only China, but also Asia, Europe, Latin America and even the United States,” Wang said.

On Sunday, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, condemned the war and accused the United States of assassinating a sovereign leader, violating international laws and bringing the region “to the brink of a dangerous abyss.”

The diplomatic relationship between China and Iran dates back more than five decades. After the United States reimposed sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear weapons program following the first Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, Iran has sold up to 80% of its oil to China, according to 2025 data from analysis firm Kpler.

Some experts believe Beijing has propped up the regime with its purchase of Iranian oil. Last year, China bought 1.38 million barrels per day of Iranian oil, according to Kpler data.

But Wang told News themezone that it is merely transactional for Beijing and an unfair representation of how China views the relationship.

“I just think it’s a normal exchange,” Wang said. “Just like we see Russia’s war with Ukraine and we see all the BRICS countries like India buying from Russia. So just because one country doesn’t like Iran, you can’t really ask the rest of the world that they can’t buy their oil.”

While Beijing is deploying renewable energy and nuclear power at a pace its government has called the fastest-growing green economy in the world, Chinese demand for oil continues to rise.

“I think that although China now has a lot of green energy and has greatly improved its capacity in alternative energy sources, 50% of China’s energy is still dependent on oil and many other natural gas and other sources,” Wang told News themezone.

Last year, off the coast of Malaysia in the Riau archipelago, News themezone witnessed a shadow fleet transporting Iranian oil and conducting ship-to-ship transfers with Chinese tankers, a supply route that will come to an abrupt halt if the war drags on. Wang says China has oil reserves of up to four or five months in case of a prolonged conflict.

Many analysts believe that the US-led attacks on Iran are part of a White House strategy to contain China by attacking its energy supplies. Wang said that while there is no denying the effect this will have on China’s supplies, it could also cripple the United States and its allies.

“I think President Trump is harming himself. He harms the European countries, the G7 countries and also the United States. Not just China. The entire global economy. We do not live in an isolated environment. Everything is intertwined,” he said.

Trump will travel to China for a summit with President Xi Jinping at the end of the month. The two leaders last spoke on the phone in February, when the issue of arms sales from Taiwan and the United States to the island was raised in the conversation.

Last year, the United States and China were also involved in an escalating tariff war before reaching a fragile detente. But the war in Iran and events in the Middle East will only add another level of tension to the relationship between the world’s two superpowers.