Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspected strategic oil reserves and grain stockpiles in one of China’s main economic hubs earlier this week, as the world’s second-largest economy steps up efforts to insulate itself from the Strait of Hormuz crisis.During a trip to Zhoushan and Ningbo in China’s eastern Zhejiang province, Li called for the accelerated construction of commodity distribution hubs to safeguard China’s national security. He also stressed the need to maintain adequate reserves of essential commodities and materials and create more resilient supply chains.“Maintaining adequate reserves of commodities and critical materials is of great significance for the stable operation of the economy and society,” he said, according to a Xinhua report published on Wednesday.“With grain in hand, one does not panic,” the premier added, quoting a traditional Chinese maxim.The visit comes as China grapples with severe disruption to global supply chains. The US-Israel war on Iran, now entering its fourth month, has upended international trade routes and sent commodities prices surging following the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz.China relies on imports for most its oil consumption, with total crude imports reaching 577.7 million tonnes last year, according to Chinese customs data. A large chunk of those shipments came from the Persian Gulf: Barclays Research estimated in March that about 35 per cent of the oil China consumed passed through the Strait of Hormuz.