Beijing Warns Washington as US Pressure on Iran Risks New Tensions
Beijing has warned Washington that it will take “all necessary measures” to protect its interests if US sanctions on Iran are extended to Chinese companies and banks.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - China has issued a strong warning to Washington over the expansion of US sanctions on Iran, saying it will take “all necessary measures” to respond and protect its interests as the latest dispute threatens to further strain relations between the two global powers.
The warning came Tuesday, after the British newspaper Financial Times reported that diplomatic and economic tensions between Beijing and Washington had risen following the US Treasury Department’s announcement of an “economic operation” against Iran.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told the newspaper that China “firmly opposes” any unilateral and illegal sanctions that have no basis in international law or decisions by the United Nations Security Council.
Beijing will take all necessary measures to safeguard its rights and interests, the spokesperson said, adding that its immediate priority is to intensify efforts to reduce tensions in the Middle East and return to dialogue and negotiations.
According to the report, imposing severe sanctions on major Chinese banks and companies that purchase 90 percent of Iran’s oil could further complicate relations between Washington and Beijing.
The dispute comes just one month before an expected meeting in Washington between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss extending the trade truce the two sides agreed to last year.
Economic experts in China said Beijing has several powerful options for retaliating against Washington, including restricting exports of rare and sensitive minerals.
Such restrictions could severely disrupt the US advanced technology industry and factory production, as occurred during previous stages of the trade war.
At the same time, while Chinese state-owned companies comply with sanctions, Beijing has allowed smaller private refineries to purchase Iranian oil and instructed them not to comply with Washington’s sanctions.
Zhu Feng, an international relations expert at Nanjing University, said China does not want to become involved in a war between the United States and Iran.
“China does not want to get involved in the war between the United States and Iran, but at the same time it is very concerned about a prolonged crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, because most of China’s oil imports from the Middle East come from Saudi Arabia and Iraq, not only Iran,” Zhu said.
Against this backdrop, China’s leadership has held a series of diplomatic meetings with Jordan’s King and Kuwait’s foreign minister, seeking to convey a message to Tehran to ease the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and continue peace negotiations.