Analysts long assumed a Middle Eastern blockade would cripple China due to its reliance on imported oil, but that assumption is dangerously out of date. Having spent years hoarding strategic energy reserves, increasing overland Russian imports and cultivating diplomatic leverage, Beijing has engineered a position of considerable strength, which it has been using to its advantage.
China has filled its oil reserves over the last few years by buying cheap Russian oil, funding Russian aggression in Ukraine.
This reads like promotional propaganda that in no way discounts the fact that China is by some way the worlds largest oil importer. The two things are not mutually exclusive, China is the world’s factory and requires huge quantities of energy, renewable and fossil to sustain its manufacturing economy. In 2024, 62% of electricity generation was fossil fuels. As of 2025, 10% of the cars on Chinas roads are EVs.
China, while it is travelling in the right direction it still has a long way to go to eliminate their reliance on oil and fossil fuels.
Whether they got the oil from Russia, Iran, or the US. And regardless to whether they have huge oil reserves or not.
Through their actions it’s pretty clear they aren’t really worried about the straight or oil coming through the strait.