It’s early days, but President Donald Trump’s decision to impose a U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is working.

The U.S. Navy is now interdicting vessels tied to Iranian ports, crippling their economy and costing an estimated $435 million dollars per day. It is also ending the special access China had quietly negotiated with Tehran. While Beijing sputters about a “dangerous and irresponsible act,” the move has already sent a crystal-clear message: America controls the chokepoints that matter, and we’re not afraid to use that leverage.

This isn’t just about punishing Iran. It’s about the stark, embarrassing contrast between American Energy Dominance and China’s desperate dependence.

Let’s start with the numbers that Beijing hates to see in print. A new assessment from the Collection Operations Requirements Group for Intelligence lays it out in brutal detail. China consumes roughly 5 million barrels per day of crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz – roughly half of its total oil imports. Another 30 percent of China’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) comes from Qatar and the UAE via the same narrow waterway.

Combined, this single chokepoint supplies the lifeblood of the world’s second-largest economy. China is 73 percent dependent on imported oil. Middle East suppliers account for more than 55 percent of its mix. Domestic production covers only about 27 percent, and even its Russian overland pipeline........

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