DAVID PIERSON, BERRY WANG2026年4月22日中国领导人习近平上周在北京会见阿布扎比王储。 Pool photo by Haruna FuruhashiChina’s top leader, Xi Jinping, called this week for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen, his first such comments since Iran effectively closed the strategic waterway last month in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks on its territory.中国最高领导人习近平本周呼吁霍尔木兹海峡重新开放，这是自伊朗上个月因回应美以对其领土的袭击而实质关闭这一战略水道以来，他首次就此发表评论。Mr. Xi made the comments in a call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia on Monday, according to China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.据中国官方通讯社新华社报道，习近平周一与沙特阿拉伯王储穆罕默德·本·萨勒曼通电话时发表了上述言论。“The Strait of Hormuz should remain open to normal navigation, which is in the common interest of regional countries and the international community,” Mr. Xi told Prince Mohammed, according to Xinhua.新华社援引习近平对穆罕默德王储的话说：“霍尔木兹海峡应该保持正常通行，这符合地区国家和国际社会的共同利益。”Mr. Xi’s comments reflect his difficult balancing act. Iran may be Beijing’s closest strategic partner in the Middle East, but China also has economic ties with Gulf states targeted by Iranian strikes, which it has not condemned.习近平的表态反映了他艰难的平衡之道。伊朗可能是北京在中东最亲密的战略伙伴，但中国与海湾国家也有密切的经济联系，而这些国家正遭到伊朗的打击，中国对此并未予以谴责。“This is a symbolic step that reflects the Kingdom’s importance in Beijing’s eyes as the leading Gulf state and partly offsets China’s lack of condemnation or meaningful support for Riyadh,” which has faced missile and drone attacks from Iran, said Tuvia Gering, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global China Hub.大西洋理事会全球中国中心非常驻研究员图维亚·格林表示：“这是一步象征性的举动，体现了沙特王国作为海湾地区的领先国家在北京眼中的重要性，同时也在一定程度上是对中国未予以谴责或向利雅得提供实质支持的弥补。”沙特此前遭到了伊朗的导弹和无人机袭击。Brian Wong Yue-Shun, a foreign relations expert at the University of Hong Kong, said the message was also directed at Iran.香港大学外交关系专家黄裕舜表示，这一信息也是发给伊朗的。“Beijing is definitely signaling subtly, yet importantly, to the hawks within Tehran that further unbridled escalation will not be tolerated,” he said.他说：“北京无疑在向德黑兰内部的强硬派发出微妙但重要的信号，即进一步不受约束的升级将不会被容忍。”Mr. Xi’s call with Prince Mohammed follows a meeting in Beijing last week with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in which Mr. Xi warned of the world returning to the “law of the jungle.” He did not directly mention the Strait of Hormuz in that meeting, as he did in his call with Prince Mohammed, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader.习近平与穆罕默德王储的通话发生在上周他在北京会见阿布扎比王储谢赫·哈立德·本·穆罕默德·本·扎耶德·阿勒纳哈扬之后。在那次会晤中，习近平警告世界可能重返“丛林法则”，但并未像与沙特事实上的领导人穆罕默德王储通话时那样直接提及霍尔木兹海峡。In his conversation with Prince Mohammed, Mr. Xi said China supported regional states in building “a shared home of good neighborliness” so that they could take “their future and destiny into their own hands,” according to Xinhua.根据新华社报道，习近平在与穆罕默德王储的通话中表示，中国支持地区国家共建“睦邻友好大家园”，以便各国能够“把前途命运掌握在自己手中”。Manoj Kewalramani, the head of Indo-Pacific studies at the Takshashila Institution in Bangalore, India, said that Mr. Xi’s message was consistent with earlier Chinese calls for all parties to de-escalate.印度班加罗尔塔克沙什拉研究所印太研究负责人马诺吉·凯瓦尔拉马尼表示，习近平的表态与中国此前呼吁各方降温的立场是一致的。“Essentially, Beijing wants the United States to lift its blockade and for Iran to also permit ships to navigate through,” he said.他说：“本质上，北京希望美国解除封锁，同时也希望伊朗允许船只通过海峡。”Both Saudi Arabia and Iran have called for China to play a bigger role as a mediator in the crisis. Almost three years ago, Beijing helped the two sides restore diplomatic relations. But it is unclear if Mr. Xi is willing to deepen China’s involvement and risk getting entangled in a crisis it did not create.沙特阿拉伯和伊朗双方都曾呼吁中国在当前危机中发挥更大的调解作用。近三年前，北京曾帮助两国恢复外交关系。但目前尚不清楚习近平是否愿意加深中国的介入，并冒着卷入一场并非由中国引发的危机的风险。Beijing’s primary concerns over the war are economic, analysts say. China imports as much as 40 percent of its oil through the Strait of Hormuz. A prolonged closure of the strategic waterway could trigger a global economic downturn that could threaten trade, the chief driver of China’s economy.分析人士指出，北京对这场战争的主要担忧是经济层面的。中国高达40%的石油进口需通过霍尔木兹海峡。如果这一战略水道长期关闭，可能引发全球经济衰退，从而威胁到作为中国经济主要驱动力的贸易。David Pierson报道中国外交政策和中国与世界的经济与文化交互。他从事新闻工作已超过20年。Berry Wang是《纽约时报》记者/研究员，常驻香港。翻译：纽约时报中文网点击查看本文英文版。