BEIJING - The ship seized by the United States in the Strait of Hormuz is a foreign-flagged container ship, and China opposes any malicious association with it or hyping up of the matter, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun on Tuesday.

Guo made the remarks at a regular press briefing after former US Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nikki Haley said in a post that the ship intercepted over the weekend had been traveling from China to Iran and was used to carry chemicals for missiles.