Beijing, April 14: China is being privately reassured that its supplies of oil would be guaranteed in the event that it supports tough new UN sanctions on Iran, its third largest supplier of crude.
Western sources at the nuclear security summit Washington confirmed “talks have been going in that direction” with China. Such an agreement, designed to clear a major obstacle to consensus on new measures against Iran, may also have been discussed by President Barack Obama with Hu Jintao, the President of China, at bilateral talks this week at the White House.
Iran supplies an estimated 11 per cent of China’s energy needs. Among oil suppliers to the Chinese it is only surpassed by Saudi Arabia followed by Angola. Were Iran to lash out and turn off the tap, the consequences for resources-starved China could be severe. Diplomatic signals over what China intends to do about the sanctions issue remain muddled.
–Agencies