China on Friday called for the resumption of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible, saying that the closure of the strategic waterway is disrupting the global energy supply and weighing on economies worldwide.
Speaking at a press briefing at United Nations headquarters in New York, China's permanent representative to the United Nations Fu Cong said that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz is caused by the illegitimate war by the United States and Israel against Iran and that the shutdown has inflicted significant economic damage worldwide.
Fu made the remarks at the press briefing as China assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council on Friday.
"The root cause of this situation is the illegitimate war by the U.S. and Israel against Iran, and this war has brought tremendous sufferings in Iran for the Iranian people and the neighboring countries, and its ramifications runs far and wide. And in particular, the close of Hormuz is actually wreaking havoc in the oil market and in the economy of the entire world, in particular in the Global South," said Fu.
Fu said that the priority at the moment is to maintain the ceasefire between the United States, Israel, and Iran. He added that both Iran and the United States must act to restore passage, with Iran lifting restrictions and the U.S. ending its naval blockade.
"So China's view is that we need to open the Strait of Hormuz as quickly as possible. And that actually applies to both sides. Iran needs to lift its restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. needs to lift its naval blockade. And in our view, the most urgent issue is to keep the ceasefire, and the ceasefire needs to last and there has to be a good-faith negotiation between the two sides," said Fu.
The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly 20 percent of the world's seaborne oil flows. Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz after Israel and the U.S. launched their joint strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. The U.S. imposed a naval blockade targeting ships going to and from Iran.
Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has dropped sharply since the outbreak of the war, with the number of vessels passing through the waterway falling from about 130 per day before the war to fewer than 10, a decline of more than 90 percent, the British Royal Navy said on Friday.
China calls for resumption of Hormuz shipping as soon as possible
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to increase tariffs on cars and trucks imported from the European Union (EU) to 25 percent next week.
Trump said on Truth Social that he is "pleased" to announce that, based on the fact the EU is not complying with U.S.-EU trade deal, next week he will be "increasing tariffs charged to the European Union for cars and trucks coming into the United States," adding the tariff will be increased to 25 percent.
"It is fully understood and agreed that, if they produce cars and trucks in U.S.A. plants, there will be NO TARIFF," he stressed.
Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's (EP) Committee on International Trade, on the same day strongly condemned the U.S. plan to slap the auto tariff, declaring the move "unacceptable" in a post on X.
Lange said the EU and the EP are honoring the trade agreement reached with the United States in Scotland last year, and are working on legislation to implement it.
"We are currently drafting the legislation; we have a parliamentary position and aim to finalize this in June," Lange said.
Lange said the United States has repeatedly breached the agreement, including imposing tariffs on more than 400 products containing steel and aluminium. Those products are now subject to an average tariff of 26 percent, he said.
He noted that Trump's latest move demonstrates just how "unreliable" the U.S. side is.
A European Commission spokesperson said Friday that the EU will "keep options open" to protect its interests if the United States takes measures inconsistent with the joint statement between the two sides signed last year on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade.
The EU remains fully committed to a predictable, mutually beneficial transatlantic relationship, the spokesperson said, adding that should the United States take measures inconsistent with the Joint Statement, "we will keep our options open to protect EU interests."
The EU is implementing its Joint Statement commitments in line with standard legislative practice, keeping the U.S. administration fully informed throughout, the spokesperson said, adding that the EU maintains close contact with its U.S. counterparts while also seeking clarity on U.S. commitments under the deal.
The U.S.-EU trade deal was reached last year, under which the EU would suspend tariffs on all U.S. industrial products and introduce tariff-rate quotas for a wide range of U.S. agri-food products entering the EU market. In return, the United States would apply a 15-percent import tariff on most EU goods.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in February that the Trump administration's tariff policies under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act were unconstitutional. But the Trump administration has since introduced a new set of import taxes based on other laws, seeking to impose a new tariff regime.
According to EU statistical agency Eurostat, the value of EU-U.S. trade in goods and services reached 1.7 trillion euros (about 2 trillion U.S. dollars) in 2024, equivalent to roughly 4.6 billion euros per day.
Trump threatens to raise tariffs on auto imports from EU to 25 pct
