An oil tanker unloads imported crude oil at the Qingdao Port Oil Terminal in Qingdao, China, on April 12, 2026. Getty Images Staff/Getty Images
Commentary
As the war with Iran distracted the United States and Europe is focused on Russia, China exploited the situation to increase its belligerence against Japan and maritime claims around Taiwan and in the South China Sea. But the Iran war also included a blockade of Iran, which forced China to reduce its oil imports.
