During its blockade, Tehran allowed ships from states described as “friendly” to use alternative “safe” corridors, despite laying mines. However, the Hormuz crisis has also put China’s similar stance in the spotlight, and linked it to Beijing’s policies in the South China Sea and Strait of Taiwan. Beijing’s maritime policiesChina, which ratified UNCLOS in 1996, claims sovereignty over virtually all islands and their adjacent waters in the South China Sea. It also demands “sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait”. UNCLOS’s Article 56 states that sovereign rights in EEZs are limited exclusively to exploration, exploitation, and other economic activities.