00:00But, Michael, we've also seen a Chinese chanker travelling through the U.S. blockade
00:05when it comes to the Strait of Hormuz.
00:08There's lots of, obviously, questions about this, CENTCOM is denying it.
00:12We've heard reports from various news outlets.
00:16Is China openly defying Donald Trump?
00:19Because China also came out today, and I thought these words were quite interesting.
00:23China has threatened countermeasures if the U.S. goes ahead with the tariff hikes on China,
00:29which Beijing says follow false media reports claiming it provided military support to Iran.
00:37So we are getting tougher language from Beijing.
00:41Yes, we are.
00:42And in answer to your question, are they defying the U.S.?
00:46They are, but I don't think that they're necessarily challenging the U.S.,
00:51certainly not militarily.
00:52So we have to remember that China buys 80% of Iranian oil.
00:57And we've had the Chinese defence minister who has come out and said,
01:01we have trade and energy agreements with Iran, and we're going to conduct business.
01:06And that's very much what they're doing right now.
01:09They are conducting business.
01:11But we have to also make note that if China was interested in starting a military confrontation
01:20with the U.S., I think it would be not in the Strait of Hormuz.
01:24It might somehow involve Taiwan, for instance.
01:28I don't think China is thinking that they want to, as Sarah said,
01:32they don't want to take any of the bad PR away from Donald Trump because he can have all of
01:39it.
01:40They are, as Sarah said, you know, acting like the adults in the room.
01:43And they are going about the business that they need to consistently be conducting
01:51so that they're bringing the oil back into their country.
01:54And I think this is one of the points that the U.S. is also recognising,
02:00well, it's China, maybe reading between the lines,
02:03maybe also understanding that there are conversations taking place behind the scenes.
02:07But there's no way that the Chinese are going to use this moment to create a military incident
02:15in the Strait of Hormuz when there are so many other issues that still need to be resolved
02:22between the U.S. and Iran.
02:24It doesn't do China any good to get in the middle of that.
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