French navy chief says China will have to engage more in Strait of Hormuz discussion

PARIS, April 1 (Reuters) - China will at one point have to engage more directly on how to restore oil traffic flows in the Strait of Hormuz because the number of vessels it has going through is probably insufficient, France's navy chief said on Wednesday.

"We have not seen China’s navy step in to reopen the strait. On the other hand, there is direct political dialogue between Chinese and Iranian authorities to ensure that a certain number of vessels can pass. Will that be enough to restore normal traffic flows? I don’t believe so," Admiral Nicolas Vaujour told the War & Peace security conference in Paris.

"As a result, China will probably have to engage more directly in the debate and show its impatience with the fact that the strait remains closed."

Vaujour said France was working to bring a number of countries around the table at a political level first to determine the conditions under which the strait could be reopened in a lasting way.

Militaries would ultimately be needed to monitor that reopening and they were looking at the model of the previous EU-led Agenor mission that operated in the strait.

He said militaries were also assessing whether mines had been laid and would need to be cleared.

"This is obviously not a question for France alone. It concerns all partner countries, Gulf states, the United States and other European countries as well. But it is clearly an issue we are working on, should mining be confirmed, which, as of today, has not been established," he said.