With China and Japan defending oil trade, the pressure should come down on India
Chinese premier defends oil trade with Iran | World news | guardian.co.uk
Chinese premier Wen Jiabao has defended his country's extensive oil trade with Iran against pressure from the west to impose sanctions, and yet has also warned Tehran against any effort to acquire nuclear weapons.
Wen spoke on Wednesday at the end of a six-day visit to the Middle East, against a backdrop of tensions over possible US sanctions on countries that do energy trade with Iran, which the west says is focused on developing nuclear weapons.
Iran has insisted its nuclear goals are peaceful, and in late December threatened to punish the latest western sanctions by limiting the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for much of the Middle East's oil exports.
"China adamantly opposes Iran developing and possessing nuclear weapons," said Wen, and he warned against potential confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz. Beijing is usually much more measured when describing Iran's nuclear ambitions.
Speaking at a news conference in Doha, Wen also took aim at both potential threats to China's oil imports: the US sanctions pressure and the Hormuz tensions.
"I also want to clearly point out that China's oil trade with Iran is normal trade activity," he said in response to a question about US and European efforts to curtail Iranian oil exports and revenues, according to a transcript on the Chinese foreign ministry's website.