https://iclfi.org/spartacist/en/2026-china-trade-routes
18 April—In blockading the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. imperialism has not only jacked up its campaign to crush Iran—“ceasefire” be damned--but threatens to sink the entire world economy. The effects are already being felt in China, which imports much of its oil, gas and crucial chemicals from the Persian Gulf. As the Financial Times (11 April) reported, “six weeks into a conflict that has throttled global energy markets, sharp price increases and supply disruptions have emerged across key products that form the backbone of Chinese industry.”
The Communist Party (CPC) leadership must act, now, to defend China’s trade routes and stop the U.S. brigands. Their failure to resist Trump’s attack on Venezuela only fueled his appetite to take on their more strategic Iranian partner. As each new episode in Washington’s attempt to prop up its tottering world hegemony shows, the imperialists’ ultimate goal is to throttle the People’s Republic and topple the CPC. Better to fight back now than be pushed into a corner!
It’s good that Iran has effectively used certain technologies provided by China in this war. Yet even this (meager) aid has been undercut by China’s strenuous efforts at “peace-making.” After presenting with Pakistan a five-point program that would have reopened the Strait of Hormuz but kept the U.S. as the dominant power in the region, China put pressure on Iran to accept the U.S. “ceasefire” swindle. Meanwhile, workers in the U.S. and other imperialist countries are groaning from sky-high energy prices and overall inflation. In the Global South, the masses are staring at economic devastation that looms larger the longer the war goes on.
No one but hopeless liberals and CPC bureaucrats puts any faith in the United Nations and the like to stand up to the imperialist bullies. To defend itself, the People’s Republic must rely on its powerful working class and on united struggle by the world’s masses. But they will not be spurred into action by limp appeals to “international law.” The rallying cry must be: Defeat U.S. imperialism! With its growing economic and military strength, China is in good position to take the lead. CPC: Defend China’s trade routes! Defend Iran!
We refer readers to the article the ICL received when the war began. It was first posted on our Chinese homepage.
