Chinese Regime Says No to Sanctions on Iran

The Chinese regime announced on Wednesday it is against imposing new sanctions to resolve Iran’s nuclear plans.

The statement was made after Britain, Canada and the United States announced on Monday tougher sanctions aimed at isolating Iran’s economy. The new proposals include freezing Iran’s central bank and suspending purchases of Iranian oil.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said improved negotiations and cooperation should be the approach.

[Liu Weimin, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman]:
"We believe pressure and sanctions will not fundamentally solve the Iranian issue, but will complicate the issue.”

The tougher sanctions came about following a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) revealing Iran’s nuclear aspirations to develop nuclear weapons.

But experts on the Middle East believe the Chinese regime has its eyes on Iran’s oil—that the regime is opposing the sanctions to avoid jeopardizing its trade relations with Iran.

Iran is China’s third major supplier of oil. China imported over 22-million US tons of crude oil from Iran during the first nine months of this year—a 33 percent jump from last year’s figures. Total Sino-Iranian trade has climbed by nearly 60 percent, to more than 30-billion dollars.

Meanwhile, Iran disregards the new sanctions, stating these would only encourage Iranians to support their government’s nuclear plan.

The Chinese regime is also showing support for Syria. It criticizes the UN General Assembly’s human rights committee for condemning Syria over its eight months of brutal suppression of pro-democracy supporters.