Tougher statements from Russia are putting renewed focus on China’s reluctance to agree to a new set of international sanctions against Iran.
China — which relies on Iran for much of its energy supplies — maintains that now isn’t the right time to discuss such measures and that the door to negotiations with Iran remains open.
Russia has also been dubious about sanctions, but Moscow officials on Tuesday said Iran’s decision to enrich uranium to higher levels has raised new doubts about Tehran’s nuclear program.
World powers fear the Iranian nuclear program might be a cover for building atomic weapons. Iran says the program is peaceful and aims to generate power for its growing population.
The U.S. and France said Iran’s announcement that it would enrich uranium to 20 percent left no choice but to push harder for a fourth set of U.N. Security Council sanctions to punish Iran’s nuclear defiance. Iran said Tuesday it had started enrichment under U.N. supervision.
China’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday it was studying recent statements out of Moscow and elsewhere.
Beijing backed three previous rounds of sanctions, but has been adamant in its opposition to a fourth round.
Taking over the rotating presidency of the Security Council in early January, China’s U.N. Ambassador ZhangYesui said Beijing opposes new sanctions against Iran for now because diplomatic efforts to bridge differences over the country’s nuclear program are taking place.
China is a veto-wielding member of the Security Council along with the U.S., Russia, Britain and France.
Beijing’s main concern over sanctions is that they will go too far, ultimately harming China’s burgeoning economic relationship with Iran, said Yin Gang, an expert on Iran at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
“China has economic and trade relations with Iran, so it’s natural that China would not want to see regional security and its own national interests affected due to excessive sanctions,” Yin said.
China depends on oil- and gas-rich Iran for 11 percent of its energy needs and last year became Tehran’s biggest trading partner, according to Iranian figures. Trade volume reached at least $36.5 billion, according to the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, with Iran importing consumer goods and machinery from China and exporting oil, gas, and petrochemicals.
Chinese companies also have major investments in Iranian energy extraction and the construction of roads, bridges and power plants.
While China is wary of harming such interests with sanctions, Beijing also believes past measures to punish Iran have been largely ineffective, said retired diplomat Hua Liming.
“China and the international community have all seen that the sanctions have not changed Iran’s decision to carry on the nuclear program,” Hua said.
“On the contrary, sanctions will take the already complex and tense situation in the Middle East to a more dangerous stage, which is something China does not wish to see,” he said.
