China has gained a temporary diplomatic edge from the US-Iran war, positioning itself as a stable global alternative to Washington, but analysts warn that deepening energy pressures and the threat of a global recession could soon outweigh those benefits. Beijing's early insulation from oil price shocks — thanks to fossil fuel stockpiles and diversified energy sources — is fading, with pump prices already rising and concerns mounting over the 12% of China's oil supply sourced from Iran, now threatened by a US counter-blockade of the Strait of Hormuz (the narrow waterway linking the Persian Gulf to global oil markets). Experts also caution that a prolonged conflict could trigger a worldwide economic downturn damaging to China's export-dependent economy, which relies on foreign sales for roughly one-fifth of its GDP.