EU urges China to cooperate in sanctions on Iran

By GILLIAN WONG

BEIJING

The European Union said Thursday it expects China to support tough sanctions against Iran over its suspect nuclear program and not let its companies move into the Middle Eastern country's market as European companies pull out.

China has vast energy needs and has large investments in Iran, leading to concerns that Chinese companies may try to set up more deals with the Middle Eastern country to fill the void that the sanctions create, behavior that a U.S. official has termed "backfill."

The bloc's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters in Beijing that during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi she emphasized the importance of China's support for the international sanctions on Iran.

"My message was meant to be very clear, that we would expect we wouldn't see ... 'backfill,' but rather that they would see that these are important sanctions," Ashton said.

The U.S. and some of its allies accuse Iran of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover to build nuclear weapons. Iran has denied the allegations, saying its nuclear program is geared merely toward generating electricity, not bombs.

Senior U.S. officials have been touring China, Japan, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates to demand compliance with the new round of U.N. Security Council measures.

The Security Council imposed a fourth round of sanctions on Iran in June that target Iran's Revolutionary Guard, ballistic missiles and nuclear-related investments. As a permanent member of the Security Council and key Iranian ally, China could have vetoed the sanctions, but, after considerable international pressure, it agreed to support them.

The United States and its European allies followed that up with separate penalties, which China has opposed.

Ashton said Yang accepted her invitation to join an upcoming ministerial meeting with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and the U.S. at the U.N. General Assembly that she will host.

China has defended its business relationships with Iran after pressure from the United States to fully follow the new sanctions. Beijing says China's trade with Iran is a "normal business exchange" that will not harm the interests of the international community.

China's bilateral trade with Iran reached at least $36.5 billion last year. Iran meets 11 percent of China's energy needs and Chinese companies have major investments in Iranian energy extraction projects and the construction of roads, bridges and power plants.