Recent events in the Middle East now serve to highlight a key vulnerability in China’s maritime and energy strategies.
The claim is one of several findings in a new report published by The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) on Thursday, May 28th. As part of the Asia-Pacific Regional Security Assessment 2026, experts weigh up the wider consequences of Iranian and U.S. action in the Strait of Hormuz.
Previously, the expert focus has been on regional chokepoints for China such as the Strait of Malacca and sites further afield in the Indian Ocean. In contrast, the authors argue that to understand the challenges facing Chinese shipping, logistics, and energy policy geopolitical tensions around Hormuz—and Bab el-Mandeb and Malacca—need to be viewed as “part of one interconnected maritime risk system rather than isolated regional disruptions.”
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