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Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

Getting into it: Xi made the remarks Monday during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying the strait “should remain open to normal navigation, which is in the common interest of regional countries and the international community.” He also called for an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire and said China supports Middle Eastern countries “taking their future and destiny into their own hands.”

Notably, China is Iran’s closest strategic partner and buys the majority of Iranian oil. At the same time, Beijing maintains significant trade and energy relationships with Gulf states, many of which have been hit by Iranian missile and drone strikes on their energy infrastructure during the war.

The economic toll on China is becoming impossible to ignore. Chinese customs figures released this month show purchases of Iranian goods collapsed 48% year-over-year in March, and Chinese exports heading into Iran fell 90% over the same stretch. Shipments going into the eight Persian Gulf economies slid roughly 60%, goods flowing the other direction were down 33%, and crude purchases from Gulf suppliers dropped 25%.

To plug the gap, Beijing has leaned harder on crude from Russia, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

This all comes as a new NBC News poll puts Trump’s approval at 37% amid voter frustration over the economic damage tied to the war. Our own RNNBS polling (conducted on our Instagram stories) shows 39% of our followers approve of Trump’s job performance (down from 69% in the first week of his second presidency).