China must do more on Iran, Sudan crises – US
March 27, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — A U.S. official on Tuesday criticized China’s efforts to confront crises in Iran and Sudan.
Thomas Christensen, deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, praised China for its leading role in North Korea’s recent agreement to begin abandoning its nuclear weapons in return for aid.
He told lawmakers, however, that China must take a stronger stand on a range of other international issues the U.S. worries about.
China joined the U.S. and other powers in a recent U.N. resolution toughening sanctions against Iran because of its refusal to curb nuclear activities.
But Christensen said China must stop selling weapons to Iran and must do more to block Iranian proliferation. The U.S. also worries, he said, about reports of Chinese companies looking to invest in Iran’s oil and gas sector.
“We have made clear to Beijing that these types of investments, along with continued arms sales, send the wrong signal to the Iranian regime and raise serious concerns under U.S. law,” he told the House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asia.
China also has considerable influence in Sudan, purchasing huge amounts of oil. Christensen said that China, “with some justification, is seen as Khartoum’s patron and benefactor.”
The U.S. expects China “to exercise its significant leverage” to persuade Sudan to unequivocally accept a U.N. peacekeeping force to help stop violence that has killed some 200,000 in Darfur, he said.
(AP)