Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

After coordination with relevant parties, three Chinese ships recently transited the Strait of Hormuz, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Tuesday. The remarks were made in response to a question on whether the Foreign Ministry has received any further assurance from Iran guaranteeing shipping safety or the status of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, after tracking data from a monitoring group has shown two container vessels belonging to COSCO have successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz and have exited the Gulf. 

We express appreciation for the assistance of relevant parties, Mao added.

Mao said that the Strait of Hormuz and waters nearby are an important route for international goods and energy trade. China calls for an immediate end to hostilities to restore peace and stability in the Gulf, she added.

A staff with the PR department of China COSCO Shipping Corp. told the Global Times on Tuesday that there is no information to share at the moment.

COSCO had said in a March 25 customer advisory that it had resumed bookings for general cargo containers for shipments from Far East to Middle East including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq and Oman.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced on March 27 that passage is prohibited for any vessel through any corridor in the Strait of Hormuz to and from the ports of countries allied with and supporting the US and Israel, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a phone conversation with Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi at the latter's request on March 24, during which Araghchi said the Strait of Hormuz is open to all and ships can pass safely, but countries at war with Iran are not under consideration, according to Xinhua.