Conflict in Iran is reshaping global energy markets, prompting China to look beyond traditional maritime sources. The rising instability in the Middle East has highlighted vulnerabilities in global supply chains, forcing reassessment of energy dependencies.

The war in Iran is not just a regional crisis. It is reshaping global energy flows, disrupting shipping routes and forcing governments to reassess the vulnerability of their supply chains. For China, the conflict has exposed an increasingly urgent problem: the risks of heavy reliance on maritime energy imports from the Gulf. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical chokepoints, carrying roughly a fifth of global oil and gas under normal conditions. Any sustained disruption –...