How China is responding to the stalling of talks between the U.S. and Iran

NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks to Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, about how China views the current crisis in the Middle East AYESHA RASCOE, HOST: The Strait of Hormuz has been a major sticking point in peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. says its blockade there remains. Iran says it controls the Strait of Hormuz. AAA's national average of gas prices remains above $4. Fertilizer prices are squeezing American farmers, and officials in Asian countries are urging people to conserve energy. China is the world's largest importer of crude oil, and we'll take a look now at how Beijing is reacting to the conflict between the U.S. and Iran. Zongyuan Zoe Liu is a senior fellow for China Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, and she joins us now from Hong Kong. Thanks for being with us. ZONGYUAN ZOE LIU: Thank you for having me, Ayesha. RASCOE: So what's the reaction from Chinese officials about this weekend's news? LIU: So far, China has not really issued any official statement - neither have they confirmed or shown any signs of affirmative support, nor have they shown any signs of complaint. But overall, I'd say, since the conflict in Iran happened until now, all that Chinese officials have done is to try all that they can to call for restoration of stability. …