Admiral Fa Navy's "moral blackmail": China will be dissatisfied sooner or later

【Article/Observer Network (Guancha) Bear Chaoran】The United States and Israel openly launch a war against Iran, triggering the outbreak and escalation of the Strait of Hormuz crisis, which in turn wreaks havoc on the global shipping industry. At this moment, instead of urging the United States to address the problem, some people talk about China nonstop, as if wearing a full-on mask of “moral blackmail.”

According to a report by Reuters on April 1 local time, Nicolas Vaujour, chief of staff of the French Navy (Nicolas Vaujour), at the “War & Peace” security conference held in Paris, claimed that China will sooner or later have to take a more direct part in discussions on how to restore the smooth flow of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, because the number of Chinese ships currently transiting through the strait may not be sufficient to sustain normal transport.

“We haven’t seen the Chinese navy get involved to help reopen the strait. On the other hand, there is indeed direct political dialogue between China and Iran, aimed at ensuring that a certain number of ships can pass through smoothly. But is that enough to restore normal traffic flow? I don’t think so,” he added.

“Therefore, China may have to take a more direct role in this discussion and clearly express its dissatisfaction with the strait remaining closed,” the French admiral said.

Chief of Staff of the French Navy Nicolas Vaujour | File photo

Vaujour said that France is working to first convene representatives from multiple countries around a table at the political level, so as to jointly agree under what conditions a durable reopening of the Strait of Hormuz can be achieved.

He believes that ultimately military force still needs to be used to monitor the situation after the strait is reopened. At present, the French side is considering adopting the operating model of the “Agenor mission,” which was previously led by the European Union and carried out tasks in that strait.

He also revealed that the militaries of various countries are currently assessing whether mines have already been laid in the strait, and whether mine-clearing operations are needed.

“Obviously, this is not a problem faced by France alone. It concerns all partner countries—including Gulf countries, the United States, and other European countries. However, once it is confirmed that mines have indeed been laid in the strait (note: as of now, this has not been verified), then there is no doubt that it will become a major issue we are already working on addressing,” he said.

As the military conflict in the Middle East enters its fifth week, the continued disruption of shipping through the key oil and gas transport route, the Strait of Hormuz, has left U.S. President Trump extremely furious. Trump keeps urging America’s allies to take action, but no country is willing to do so.

For its part, Iran has issued a tough statement, refusing to make concessions to the United States on the issue of the Strait of Hormuz. On April 1 local time, Ibrahim Aziz, chairman of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, posted on social media, saying that the Strait of Hormuz will certainly reopen, but it will not be opened to the United States.

On March 11, an oil tanker near the Strait of Hormuz | IC photo

In fact, the serious impact of the Strait of Hormuz crisis reaches globally, and for this global crisis, China has in effect already provided a “solution” at its root.

Previously, the U.S. side also made remarks involving China when discussing the Strait of Hormuz. In response, Lin Jian, spokesperson of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, previously said at a regular press conference that the recent situation in the Strait of Hormuz and nearby waters is tense, affecting international cargo and energy trade routes and undermining regional and world peace and stability. China once again calls on all parties to immediately stop military actions, avoid further escalation of tensions, and prevent regional turmoil from having a greater impact on global economic development. China maintains communication with all parties regarding the current situation and is committed to helping ease tensions and cool things down.

“While losing the Strait of Hormuz, how will China cope?” With such a question that appears paradoxical on the surface (note: the original text uses the word ‘paradoxically’), Reuters published on April 1 a visual data report, analyzing from multiple angles why China can stay calm and composed amid this global energy turmoil.

China has imported a large amount of oil from the Gulf region—roughly equal to the combined totals of India, Japan, and South Korea. Under the crisis, Asian countries begin to feel the squeeze, while China has long emphasized—keep the energy “bread and butter” securely in your own hands.

In fact, over many years, a series of policy measures by China has reduced its vulnerability when energy shocks come knocking. In difficult times, China still has more buffer capacity than many neighboring countries.

China has an inventory of electric vehicles on a scale nearly equal to the total of all other countries in the world, it has massive oil reserves that are still growing, and it has diversified supply channels for oil and natural gas. In addition, thanks to abundant domestic coal resources and renewable energy, China’s electricity supply system requires almost no reliance on imports.

Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder of the Finnish think tank Energy & Clean Air Research Center (CREA), said: “The current situation is very close to the blueprint that China’s policy planners have imagined for decades.” He pointed out: “This fully confirms the correctness of the strategic direction to reduce dependence on fossil fuels shipped by sea.”

This article is an exclusive piece for Observer Network (Guancha). Without authorization, it may not be reproduced.

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