China says ‘concerned’ over US intercepting Iranian ship in Strait of Hormuz

China on Monday expressed “concern” over US forces boarding an Iranian cargo ship, urged against escalation, and called on both parties to provide “necessary conditions” to normalize the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

“Strait of Hormuz is an important” waterway for goods and trade globally, and keeping it safe and stable “serves the interests of international community,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.

“On the US taking the (Iranian) ship by force, we express our concern,” said Guo, urging restraint between the two warring parties.

Beijing was reacting to US President Donald Trump’s announcement that American naval forces intercepted and disabled an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that attempted to breach a US naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman, with Marines now holding the vessel in custody.

The USS Spruance, a guided missile destroyer, intercepted the Touska after its crew refused repeated warnings to stop, Trump said Sunday.

China hopes the US and Iran can “fulfil their obligations, abide by the ceasefire, to prevent escalation and provide necessary conditions for re-normalization of the strait,” Guo said.

He called on the two sides to “maintain momentum of ceasefire, continue to promote de-escalation” toward a political end to the conflict.

The US move to force entry into the Iranian ship comes as efforts are underway to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table in Pakistan for a fresh round of talks.

This comes as a two-week ceasefire mediated and secured by Pakistan is set to expire by dawn on Wednesday.

Iran had declared the strait open on Friday but closed it again, a day later after Trump said the blockade of Iranian ports will continue.

On Feb. 28, the US and Israel launched a war on Tehran, triggering retaliation by Iran which hit US assets and bases across the Middle East. The fighting halted on April 8, and Islamabad on April 11-12 hosted the highest-level engagements between the US and Iran since 1979, but the talks remained inconclusive.

Trump has announced a US team will travel to Pakistan on Monday for a second round of talks with Iran, but Tehran is yet to officially announce its decisions regarding another round of Islamabad talks.