【10.04.01 华尔街日报】Iranian's Visit Puts Spotlight on China

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http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303395904575157653042831916.html
BEIJING—Iran's chief nuclear negotiator came to Beijing for talks amid signs of headway in the U.S.-led effort to secure backing for sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program.
Saeed Jalili arrived Thursday in the Chinese capital for his second official visit in two years. He was scheduled to meet with State Councilor Dai Bingguo and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi before holding a news conference in Beijing late Friday.



It wasn't immediately clear what message China is likely to deliver. A Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman at a routine news conference Thursday reiterated the country's position that it "will continue to push for a peaceful solution to the Iran nuclear issue."
But the talks come amid signs that Beijing may be easing its resistance to a fresh round of United Nations sanctions against Iran. On Wednesday, China participated in a conference call with the four other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany—known as the "P-5 plus 1"—to discuss a possible sanctions resolution. China in that call reaffirmed a commitment it made in a similar call last week to negotiations on the text of a possible resolution.
U.S. and other Western diplomats said detailed discussions of the contents of a resolution haven't begun. U.S. officials said they have seen no firm commitments from the Chinese on the sanctions issue but were encouraged by China's agreement to sit down and begin more substantive negotiations.
At Thursday's Foreign Ministry briefing in Beijing, spokesman Qin Gang confirmed that in a call Wednesday, the five permanent Security Council members and Germany "agreed to maintain contact through various channels." He wouldn't confirm that China has agreed to start talks on sanctions. "The Chinese side will continue to work to resolve the Iran issue through diplomatic means," Mr. Qin said.



A Beijing-based diplomat who follows Iran said he expects China to support narrowly defined sanctions that protect its economic ties to both Iran and the U.S.—the former a key oil supplier, the latter its second-biggest trading partner. In exchange, the diplomat said, Beijing would receive concessions from Washington on other issues including nuclear-disarmament talks with North Korea. "I think we'll have sanctions with 'Chinese characteristics,'" he said.
Publicly, China hasn't expressed support for new sanctions, instead favoring continued negotiations to ban the use of nuclear technology for weapons but allow it for civilian use. China allowed three earlier rounds of sanctions against Iran. Russia and China recently worked together to press Iran to accept a U.N.-brokered proposal to send uranium abroad for enrichment.
Guo Xiangang, a foreign-policy analyst at the China Institute of International Studies, said he doesn't think China's position is changing. Rather, he suggests U.S. officials are trying to demonstrate progress on Iran for political reasons. U.S. President Barack Obama "needs to raise his domestic profile," said Mr. Guo, whose institute is affiliated with the government. "He has gotten a lot of criticism from people saying he is too soft on Iran...So these statements that China is moving closer are for a domestic audience."
Mr. Jalili is the latest diplomat to visit China to solicit its backing, underscoring how the Iran dispute has strengthened Beijing's international clout. In February, Israel sent officials to persuade Beijing of Iran's weapons ambitions; visitors in March included top China officials from the U.S. State Department and National Security Council, as well as U.K. Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, repeated in a briefing Thursday Iran's long-held assertion it is pursuing a peaceful nuclear program. "Our advice to all countries has always been that, instead of resorting to incorrect methods such as sanctions and pressure," the international community should support the rights of independent states to pursue nuclear energy, he said, according to the state-run, English-language Press TV.
China and Iran have extensive ties, particularly in the energy sector. China is the world's second-biggest oil consumer after the U.S., and last year overtook Japan as Iran's top crude-oil buyer. Iran accounts for about 8% of China's oil imports.
"The relationship between Iran and China is very important, and it is very important for our two countries to cooperate on all the issues," Mr. Jalili said after arriving in Beijing, according to the Associated Press.
Still, last week's conference call marked China's first participation since mid-January in such a meeting about Iran with the other permanent Security Council members and Germany. It came after the U.S. backed away from pursuing several tough measures—including efforts aimed at choking off Iran's access to international banking services and capital markets and restricting its national air-cargo and shipping lines—to win support from China and Russia for a new sanctions resolution, people familiar with the situation said last week.
Several analysts say the China-Iran relationship is shifting somewhat, in ways that could erode Beijing's sense of obligation to Tehran.
China is building a big presence in neighboring Iraq, where Chinese oil companies have signed a string of deals that could overshadow the Iranian supply in a few years. In the first two months of the year, China imported nearly 40% less oil from Iran than it did during the same period last year, and bought more oil from other countries. Monthly figures can be misleading, but Chinese oil companies have been struggling in Iran amid Tehran's unattractive commercial terms and sanctions that make it difficult to get parts for complex projects.