Influence Without Responsibility: China and the Strait of Hormuz

In this paper, we discuss:

• Why Gulf states are looking to China for leverage over Iran;
• Why Beijing is unlikely to provide security guarantees in the Gulf;
• How competing Iranian and US systems now govern passage through Hormuz;
• How China is reducing its dependence on the Strait rather than seeking to reopen it;
• Why China’s growing regional influence stops short of assuming security responsibility.

Download PDF: China and the Strait of Hormuz – September 2026