China’s ambassador to South Africa, Wu Peng, has called on countries in the Global South to unite and defend their interests as the US-Israel war against Iran deepens into a global energy war, threatening economic stability and geopolitical balance.
Speaking at the launch of the Sino-SA Media Club in Pretoria on Thursday night, Wu said developing nations must act collectively to protect themselves from the fallout of a conflict he described as both unjust and destabilising.
“It is time that Global South countries and peace-loving countries must [work] in solidarity to do something. We cannot just wait. We need action to protect our ordinary lives.
“We are committed to peace. However, do not regard our goodwill for negotiations of peace as kind of soft or weak. No. We are very determined to defend the interests of our own and the Global South,” he said.
The war, which erupted in late February following coordinated strikes on Iran, has rapidly escalated beyond a military confrontation into a battle over energy routes.
Iran’s disruption of the Strait of Hormuz has squeezed global oil flows, sending fuel prices soaring and placing vulnerable economies under severe strain.
Wu warned that the consequences are already rippling across the Global South, where countries dependent on imported fuel and fertiliser are facing rising inflation, food insecurity, and mounting fiscal pressure.
China, alongside Pakistan, has responded by proposing a joint five-point peace plan centred on an immediate ceasefire, dialogue and regional stability as well as the security of non-military targets. The proposal forms part of a broader push by Beijing to position itself as a diplomatic counterweight to Western intervention in the Middle East.
“One month into the conflict, it continues to spill over, dealing an increasingly severe blow to regional and global peace and stability, causing extensive disruptions to the stability of global energy supply, [affecting] operations of industry and supply chains and economic growth.”
Wu urged developing nations to assume greater responsibility in shaping a fairer global order.
He cautioned against doing nothing while the broader war risks deepening divisions and prolonging the conflict in the Gulf region.
During a recent press briefing, its foreign minister, Wang Yi, called for an immediate ceasefire, warning that the conflict “should not have happened” and that continued military action will only fuel further instability.
He stressed that respect for sovereignty, rejection of force and a return to negotiations must guide any resolution, cautioning that “the law of the jungle must not return” to international relations.
Diplomatic efforts to stabilise the situation, however, have remained uncertain. A planned United Nations Security Council vote on whether to authorise forces to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was abruptly postponed on Friday and removed from the UN schedule without a new date, reflecting deep divisions among major powers.
The conflict is increasingly impacting global markets, which remain volatile, and energy supplies, which are uncertain, far beyond the Gulf.
For the Global South, the war is being measured in rising transport costs, shrinking food baskets and tightening national budgets, a reminder that in an energy war, the battlefield may be far away, but the burden is close to home.
- China’s ambassador to South Africa, Wu Peng, has called on countries in the Global South to unite and defend their interests as the US-Israel war against Iran deepens into a global energy war, threatening economic stability and geopolitical balance.
- Speaking at the launch of the Sino-SA Media Club in Pretoria on Thursday night, Wu said developing nations must act collectively to protect themselves from the fallout of a conflict he described as both unjust and destabilising.
- “It is time that Global South countries and peace-loving countries must [work] in solidarity to do something.
- We cannot just wait.
- We need action to protect our ordinary lives.
