China's production centre is experiencing fresh economic strain as the intensifying Middle East tensions disrupts worldwide supply networks and forces factory costs significantly upward. Workers in industrial hubs such as Foshan and Guangzhou, currently battling slower growth and evolving consumer needs, now confront mounting uncertainty as the US-Israel war with Iran blocks vital maritime passages and jeopardises production orders. Whilst Beijing's considerable fuel reserves and renewable energy investments have shielded the country from the most severe fuel disruptions, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz—one of the world's most vital maritime passages—is compounding stress affecting an economy centred on international...