The UN Security Council is expected to vote today on a resolution to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, but in a significantly watered-down form after veto-wielding China opposed authorising force, diplomats have said, Reuters reports.

Efforts by Bahrain, the current chair of the 15-member Council, to secure a resolution have involved multiple drafts seeking to overcome opposition from China, Russia and others. The latest iteration, seen by Reuters, drops any explicit authorisation of the use of force.

Instead, the text “strongly encourages States interested in the use of commercial maritime routes in the Strait of Hormuz to coordinate efforts, defensive in nature, commensurate to the circumstances, to contribute to ensuring the safety and security of navigation across the Strait of Hormuz.”

It says such contributions could include “the escort of merchant and commercial vessels,” and the text also endorses efforts “to deter attempts to close, obstruct or otherwise interfere with international navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Diplomats said the watered-down version had a better chance of passing, but it remained unclear if it would succeed.

It requires at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes from the five permanent members, Britain, China, France, Russia and the US.