China’s Energy Security Tested as Iran Conflict Disrupts Strait of Hormuz
By [Your Name], International Editor, nouvelles-du-monde.com
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The escalating conflict involving the U.S. and Israel in Iran is posing a significant, though not crippling, test to China’s long-held assumptions about energy security, despite Beijing’s efforts to diversify its supply and reduce reliance on Middle Eastern oil. While China is largely self-sufficient in energy, the potential for prolonged disruption to oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz is raising concerns.
China imported a record 11.55 million barrels of oil per day in 2025, with over 55 percent originating in the Middle East – Saudi Arabia (14.9 percent), Iran (13 percent), Iraq (11.2 percent), the United Arab Emirates (6.4 percent), Oman (6.1 percent), Kuwait (3.3 percent), and Qatar (1.3 percent). Most of this oil transits the Strait of Hormuz. However, China’s overall energy picture is more complex.
According to People’s Daily, China’s energy self-sufficiency consistently exceeded 80 percent during its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), reaching as high as 85 percent, as asserted by a senior executive at China National Petroleum Corporation in July 2025. Coal remains the dominant energy source, accounting for around 51.4 percent of total consumption, with renewable energy surpassing oil in 2024 to become the second-largest source.
“China’s dependence on imported oil does not have a profound effect on its energy security,” explains Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center. “It only reflects risks in one category of the country’s energy demand.”
Despite this diversification, China’s reliance on Iranian oil remains substantial. Approximately 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil exports end up in China, estimated at 1.38 million barrels per day in 2025, according to figures cited by Reuters, the South China Morning Post, and The Diplomat. China has engaged in opaque oil-for-infrastructure arrangements with Iran to circumvent U.S. sanctions, with Iranian oil often transshipped through Malaysia and Indonesia.
The current conflict is impacting China in three key ways: disruption of Iranian oil production and exports, threats to close the Strait of Hormuz – with 16 confirmed attacks on ships in and around the Gulf as of March 15 – and subsequent production cuts by Gulf producers. As of March 8, oil prices surged to over $100 per barrel before settling around $90.
China has dispatched its Special Envoy for Middle Eastern Affairs, Zhai Jun, on shuttle diplomacy to the region, signaling a desire to de-escalate tensions and secure continued oil flow. Beijing appears to be operating under the assumption that a prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz is unsustainable, believing that the resulting global energy crisis would compel all parties – including the United States – to seek a negotiated settlement.
While China has not developed a military presence in the region, it is closely monitoring the situation. If the Strait of Hormuz remains closed for months, China is likely to align with major oil consumers and producers to pressure Washington for a ceasefire.
The war in Iran is testing China’s long-held belief that a major regional conflict in the Middle East would be unsustainable. The extent to which this assumption holds true will determine the future of China’s energy security strategy.
