China demands Biden cave to Iran after US urges Beijing to be 'partner' in nuclear talks
by Joel Gehrke, Foreign Affairs Reporter
April 07, 2021 05:55 PMA senior Chinese diplomat endorsed Iran’s negotiating position during a high-stakes meeting about the rehabilitation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, even as President Joe Biden hopes Beijing will be a “partner†in these negotiations.
“This is a question involving the fundamental principle of rights and wrongs. As a victim, Iran's legitimate requirement should, in the first place, be affirmed and catered for,†Chinese Ambassador Wang Qun, the top Chinese diplomat to the United Nations in Vienna, told state media. “In order to break the current impasse, it is imperative that the U.S. return to the JCPOA at an early date by lifting all unlawful and unilateral sanctions.â€
Those comments align Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping’s regime with Tehran’s hard-line posture, as Iranian officials pressure Biden to dismantle former President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure†unilaterally. Biden’s team has denounced Trump’s policy but avoided lifting the sanctions, citing the need to ensure that Iran likewise returns to compliance with the deal while laying the groundwork for additional measures to restrain Iranian aggression — an initiative that U.S. officials hope will find support even among American rivals.
“I think principally and strategically, this is an area where we do have aligned interests with Moscow and aligned interests with Beijing,†State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters Tuesday. “They have sought to uphold the JCPOA, and we do see them as partners in this fairly narrow effort.â€
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/china-demands-biden-cave-iran-after-us-urges-beijing-be-partner-nuclear-talks