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China and Iran Agree On Path of Dialogue
By SHAI OSTER
BEIJING—Iran's chief nuclear negotiator ended a visit to Beijing with both countries calling for continued international negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program despite growing pressure on China to back new sanctions against Tehran.
"We agreed, sanctions as a tool have already lost their effectiveness," Saeed Jalili told reporters in Beijing Friday after two days of meetings with Chinese officials. He declined to say whether his Chinese counterparts had offered Iran any commitment to continue opposing U.S.-led efforts to impose sanctions on Iran.
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Associated Press
Wang Jiarui, left, speaks with Saeed Jalili of Iran in Beijing Friday.
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CIRAN
More on Iran
* WSJ.com/Mideast: News, video, graphics
Mr. Jalili's comments came hours after Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Barack Obama held a one-hour phone conversation in which Mr. Obama raised the subject of Iran, which has become one of the main contentious issues in U.S.-China relations.
"President Obama underscored the importance of working together to ensure that Iran lives up to its international obligations," the White House said in a statement after the call.
Official Chinese accounts of the conversation didn't mention Iran directly. The state-run Xinhua news agency cited Mr. Hu, who China announced Thursday will attend a nuclear security summit in the U.S. later this month, as saying that China "attaches great importance to the issue of nuclear security, opposing nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism, and supporting the international efforts to enhance cooperation on nuclear security."
Western diplomats involved in the negotiations over Iran's nuclear program have said that China in recent days agreed to start discussing a possible sanctions resolution with the other four permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany. Publicly, however, Chinese officials have stuck to their position that continued diplomacy is the way to resolve the Iran issue.
China has been one of the strongest holdouts among the five permanent Security Council members resisting a new round of sanctions. While Russia recently has increased its rhetoric against Iran's nuclear program, Moscow has sidestepped pressure to commit to any tougher resolution against Tehran.
Analysts hadn't expected any immediate breakthrough from Mr. Jalili's visit, which started Thursday. Mr. Jalili met with top foreign-policy officials, including State Councilor Dai Bingguo, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Wang Jiarui, the head of the ruling Communist Party's international department.
Mr. Wang reiterated that China supports solving the Iran nuclear issue "through dialogue and negotiation," according to Xinhua. Earlier, Mr. Yang was quoted saying that Beijing "urges relevant parties to step up diplomatic efforts, and show flexibility, to create the conditions to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation."
Iran is eager to secure backing from China against the U.S.-led sanctions push. The U.S. and others accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian program, which Iran denies. In recent weeks, Israel, the U.S. and U.K. have sent envoys to urge Beijing to push for sanctions.
Analysts say part of China's reluctance to back sanctions stems from deep economic ties to Iran, one of its top oil suppliers. But China has also been building up an energy footprint in neighboring Iraq.
The phone call between Messrs. Hu and Obama was seen as a sign that Beijing and Washington are seeking to move past months of tensions over a range of disagreements, including how to handle Iran.
The Obama administration was also expected to make an announcement on the timing of a report on China's currency policy—likely to delay a decision on whether to label Beijing a currency manipulator, according to a person familiar with the deliberations.
The U.S. Treasury was due to issue its semi-annual report to Congress on the currency policies of major trading partners April 15. But with Mr. Hu announcing this week he would attend a nuclear security summit hosted by Mr. Obama on April 12-13—just days before the currency report was due—expectations have grown the U.S. could delay making a decision, or that it could decline to label China a manipulator. China denies it is manipulating its currency.
In the phone call, Mr. Hu raised continued sticking points in the relationship, including Mr. Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. But the two men sought common ground on working to improve the global economy and preventing nuclear proliferation, official accounts said.
The White House said Mr. Obama "emphasized the importance of the United States and China along with other major economies implementing the G-20 commitments designed to produce balanced and sustainable growth."
Write to Shai Oster at [email protected]
China and Iran Agree On Path of Dialogue
By SHAI OSTER
BEIJING—Iran's chief nuclear negotiator ended a visit to Beijing with both countries calling for continued international negotiations over the Iranian nuclear program despite growing pressure on China to back new sanctions against Tehran.
"We agreed, sanctions as a tool have already lost their effectiveness," Saeed Jalili told reporters in Beijing Friday after two days of meetings with Chinese officials. He declined to say whether his Chinese counterparts had offered Iran any commitment to continue opposing U.S.-led efforts to impose sanctions on Iran.
View Full Image
CIRAN
Associated Press
Wang Jiarui, left, speaks with Saeed Jalili of Iran in Beijing Friday.
CIRAN
CIRAN
More on Iran
* WSJ.com/Mideast: News, video, graphics
Mr. Jalili's comments came hours after Chinese President Hu Jintao and President Barack Obama held a one-hour phone conversation in which Mr. Obama raised the subject of Iran, which has become one of the main contentious issues in U.S.-China relations.
"President Obama underscored the importance of working together to ensure that Iran lives up to its international obligations," the White House said in a statement after the call.
Official Chinese accounts of the conversation didn't mention Iran directly. The state-run Xinhua news agency cited Mr. Hu, who China announced Thursday will attend a nuclear security summit in the U.S. later this month, as saying that China "attaches great importance to the issue of nuclear security, opposing nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism, and supporting the international efforts to enhance cooperation on nuclear security."
Western diplomats involved in the negotiations over Iran's nuclear program have said that China in recent days agreed to start discussing a possible sanctions resolution with the other four permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and Germany. Publicly, however, Chinese officials have stuck to their position that continued diplomacy is the way to resolve the Iran issue.
China has been one of the strongest holdouts among the five permanent Security Council members resisting a new round of sanctions. While Russia recently has increased its rhetoric against Iran's nuclear program, Moscow has sidestepped pressure to commit to any tougher resolution against Tehran.
Analysts hadn't expected any immediate breakthrough from Mr. Jalili's visit, which started Thursday. Mr. Jalili met with top foreign-policy officials, including State Councilor Dai Bingguo, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and Wang Jiarui, the head of the ruling Communist Party's international department.
Mr. Wang reiterated that China supports solving the Iran nuclear issue "through dialogue and negotiation," according to Xinhua. Earlier, Mr. Yang was quoted saying that Beijing "urges relevant parties to step up diplomatic efforts, and show flexibility, to create the conditions to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue through dialogue and negotiation."
Iran is eager to secure backing from China against the U.S.-led sanctions push. The U.S. and others accuse Iran of trying to develop nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian program, which Iran denies. In recent weeks, Israel, the U.S. and U.K. have sent envoys to urge Beijing to push for sanctions.
Analysts say part of China's reluctance to back sanctions stems from deep economic ties to Iran, one of its top oil suppliers. But China has also been building up an energy footprint in neighboring Iraq.
The phone call between Messrs. Hu and Obama was seen as a sign that Beijing and Washington are seeking to move past months of tensions over a range of disagreements, including how to handle Iran.
The Obama administration was also expected to make an announcement on the timing of a report on China's currency policy—likely to delay a decision on whether to label Beijing a currency manipulator, according to a person familiar with the deliberations.
The U.S. Treasury was due to issue its semi-annual report to Congress on the currency policies of major trading partners April 15. But with Mr. Hu announcing this week he would attend a nuclear security summit hosted by Mr. Obama on April 12-13—just days before the currency report was due—expectations have grown the U.S. could delay making a decision, or that it could decline to label China a manipulator. China denies it is manipulating its currency.
In the phone call, Mr. Hu raised continued sticking points in the relationship, including Mr. Obama's meeting with the Dalai Lama and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. But the two men sought common ground on working to improve the global economy and preventing nuclear proliferation, official accounts said.
The White House said Mr. Obama "emphasized the importance of the United States and China along with other major economies implementing the G-20 commitments designed to produce balanced and sustainable growth."
Write to Shai Oster at [email protected]
