ZCZC
BFF-30
IRAN-CHINA-DIPLOMACY
Iran turns to Asian allies to seek relief from US sanctions
BEIJING, Aug 26, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad
Zarif kicked off his Asian tour in Beijing Monday, presenting a 25-year plan
to cement Iran’s ties with its biggest Asian trading partner amid biting US
sanctions.
Zarif’s Asian tour — which also includes stopovers in Japan and Malaysia
— comes fresh on the heels of a surprise visit to the G7 summit in France
over the weekend.
The summit in Biarritz saw a dramatic shift of focus when Zarif flew in at
the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the diplomatic
deadlock on Tehran’s disputed nuclear programme.
Iran’s top diplomat didn’t meet US President Donald Trump, French
diplomats said, but the presence of the two men in the same place at least
sparked hopes of detente.
Zarif was a key architect of the 2015 nuclear deal reached between Iran,
the United States, European powers, Russia and China.
In Beijing, Zarif met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and said the
pair had discussed a 25-year road map to strengthen economic cooperation
between the two countries.
China has continued to purchase Iranian crude despite sanctions.
“We reject actions of interference by others in the affairs of progressive
countries including Iran and China,” China’s foreign minister told reporters
after the meeting with Zarif.
“We have stood together in dealing with these interventions and
interferences and rejecting them as a major threat to international peace and
security and friendly relations among countries.”
Trump’s policy of applying “maximum pressure” on Tehran via crippling
sanctions has been criticised by European powers and China and is seen as
raising the risk of conflict in the Middle East.
In July, the US government imposed heavy sanctions seeking to hamper
Zarif’s travel, and effectively banning him from the United States.
Zarif tweeted that he was heading to Japan and Malaysia in the next leg of
his Asian tour without offering details.
BSS/AFP/SSS/2021 hrs