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Kawala Xie

Zhao Ziwen

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged the US to show “political sincerity” in trying to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue after talks in Beijing that called for an end to “illegal sanctions” on Tehran.
Friday’s talks between China, Russia and Iran, which also called for an end to “threats of force”, were held days after Iran rejected Donald Trump’s proposal to restart talks about the country’s nuclear programme.
Wang, who met the Iranian and Russian deputy foreign ministers Kazem Gharibabadi and Sergei Ryabkov on Friday, said: “China hopes that all parties will meet each other halfway and resume dialogue and negotiations as soon as possible.
“The United States should show political sincerity and return to the talks as soon as possible.”
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Wang also expressed opposition to a “forced intervention” by the United Nations Security Council.
The US and five other countries called a closed-door meeting of the Security Council to discuss the issue, where Britain suggested sanctions could be reimposed if Iran expanded its nuclear programme.
Wang added that history showed that negotiating from “a position of strength” would not help solve problems, adding: “Under the current circumstances, hasty intervention by the Security Council will not help the parties build trust and bridge differences.
“Initiating the rapid restoration of sanctions will destroy years of diplomatic efforts, so caution must be exercised.”
In a joint statement, the three countries said diplomatic engagement and dialogue based on “mutual respect” were the “only effective and viable options” for addressing the issue
They added that all parties should work to “eliminate the root causes” of the problem, saying: “The three countries stressed the need to end all illegal unilateral sanctions. Relevant parties should … abandon sanctions pressure and threats of force.”
The nuclear deal – known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – was also signed by China, Russia, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union.
Last week, in a letter written to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and delivered by the United Arab Emirates, Trump suggested restarting the talks. He said in an interview the day after the letter was delivered that the US would have to “go in militarily” if Tehran did not want to negotiate.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded that he would not negotiate while being “threatened”, adding that Iran would not bow to US “orders” to talk.
Since pulling out of the deal, the US has reinstated many sanctions on Iran, including measures targeting its oil exports and finances.
Iran has long denied that it wants to develop nuclear weapons – a position it repeated in Beijing on Friday – but since 2018 it has scaled back compliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency and stepped up uranium enrichment.
Fan Hongda, a professor at the Institute of Middle East Studies at Shanghai International Studies University, said China’s involvement in the Iran nuclear issue “has not increased significantly”.


“I think it is difficult to make substantial progress in the negotiations in Beijing, because the Iranian nuclear issue ultimately rests on the relationship between Iran and the United States,” Fan said.
He added that there were “very serious” internal disagreements inside Iran about what to do about the US. “More and more people support engaging with the US, but the hardliners in power still disagree,” Fan said.
Pezeshkian is seen as a relative moderate and has pledged to engage with the US, but Khamenei, the supreme leader, has been firm in his hardline stance.
Wang Jin, a professor of Middle Eastern studies at China’s Northwest University, said Friday’s talks were less about making substantive progress and more about presenting a united front.
“The tripartite dialogue is not a mechanism-based regular dialogue, but more of a posture-type dialogue, showcasing the shared stance of China, Russia and Iran,” he said.
In a post on social media, Iran’s ambassador to China Mohsen Bakhtiar, said the meeting was a “valuable initiative” in countering “America’s unilateralism” and had discussed “the necessity” of a united front opposing US sanctions.
On Friday, China, Russia and Iran also agreed to strengthen cooperation through Brics and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, two platforms increasingly used by Beijing and Moscow to provide an alternative to the Western-dominated global order.
The three countries have also been increasing financial and defence cooperation in the face of US pressure, including a joint naval drill in the Gulf of Oman this week.


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Diplomacy

Foreign Minister Wang Yi urges Washington to resume talks after a meeting to discuss the issue in Beijing attended by Iran and Russia


Foreign Minister Wang Yi urges Washington to resume talks after a meeting to discuss the issue in Beijing attended by Iran and Russia.


China-Russia relations

China-Middle East relations