China filled its strategic petroleum reserves significantly in the months before the Iran war began in late February 2026, a move that is now proving strategically valuable as the conflict has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. The stockpile gives China a buffer against global oil price spikes and supply disruptions that are hitting other major importers like India much harder. Multiple analysts have characterized the timing as strategically prescient, though it remains unclear whether China anticipated the specific timing of the conflict or was simply following a broader energy security doctrine.