Xi breaks silence, urges Saudi crown prince to reopen Hormuz
China’s Xi Jinping calls Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, urging normal traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and an immediate ceasefire
Chinese President Xi Jinping has broken his silence over tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, using a rare phone call with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to call for the restoration of normal shipping through the strategic waterway and to press for an end to the conflict in the Middle East.
According to China’s Foreign Ministry, Xi told the Saudi leader that China was calling for an “immediate and comprehensive ceasefire”, supported all efforts to restore peace, and maintained that the conflict should be resolved through political and diplomatic means.
He also stressed that the Strait of Hormuz should remain open to normal passage, saying this served the common interests of countries in the region and the wider international community.
The remarks mark Xi’s latest direct intervention on the Hormuz crisis, after renewed tensions over the weekend added further uncertainty to already fragile peace efforts involving the United States and Iran.
Reuters reported that the call came as China stepped up its diplomatic engagement over the conflict and its economic fallout.
The conversation was especially significant for Beijing. China remains heavily exposed to the security of energy flows through the Gulf, and stability in Hormuz is a critical national interest because the country is a major buyer of Iranian oil and depends on the route for broader regional energy shipments.
The phone call was also notable diplomatically, coming after Xi’s recent public remarks on Middle East tensions during a separate meeting with a Gulf leader, where he stressed the importance of international law and warned against regional instability.
The latest exchange with the Saudi crown prince signals that Beijing is trying to position itself as a constructive political actor in the region while protecting its own strategic interests.
Xi also told Mohammed bin Salman that China supports countries in the Middle East in “independently shaping their own future and destiny”, underscoring Beijing’s view that the region should take greater control of its own security and political future.
The phrasing was also notable for echoing language used earlier by US President Donald Trump, who told the Iranian people at the start of the war that it was “time to determine your own destiny”.
