China remains committed to Iran deal despite US pullout

[TaiShang]

China said on Wednesday it "regrets" the decision by the United States to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, and Beijing will continue its commitment to safeguard and implement the deal, the Foreign Ministry said.

The agreement, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was reached among multiple parties and approved by the United Nations Security Council, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in a daily news conference. All parties involved should carry it out with seriousness and safeguard its integrity, Geng said.

Doing so will help maintain the international nonproliferation regime, promote peace and stability in the Middle East and serve as an example of solving hot spot issues through political means, Geng said.

"China calls on all parties to ... stick to the direction of a political and diplomatic settlement, handle their differences properly and come back to the right track of implementing the deal as soon as possible," Geng said. China will maintain talks with all parties, he said.

A man watches the news broadcast on US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal at a teahouse in central Tehran, capital of Iran, on May 8, 2018. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he will withdraw the United States from the Iran nuclear deal, a landmark international agreement signed in 2015.[Photo/Xinhua]

US President Donald Trump announced in a speech on Tuesday that his country will withdraw from the deal and reinstate its sanctions on Iran, and that Iran is "going to want to make a new and lasting deal".

Trump's announcement has also sparked concerns and opposition from the other parties to the deal.

In a joint statement issued by the British Prime Minister's office, the leaders of France, Germany and Britain said they took note of Trump's decision "with regret and concern".

The deal was struck between Iran and the US, Britain, France, Russia and China, plus Germany and the European Union, in Vienna in 2015.

The deal asks Iran to limit its nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions the international community imposed on the country.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was "deeply disappointed by the decision of US President Donald Trump to unilaterally refuse to carry out commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," according to AFP.

Iran President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic will remain in the nuclear deal with other signatories without the US.

"From this time on, the nuclear deal is an accord between Iran and five countries," Rouhani said in live speech broadcast from state TV.

Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies, said the US is sending the "wrong signals" by quitting the Iran nuclear deal, as such moves will undermine future efforts to solve issues in the Middle East through talks.

Emma Ashford, a research fellow with the Cato Institute, a think tank in Washington, said in an analysis on Tuesday that by leaving the nuclear deal without offering any clear strategy or plan for an alternative, "Trump is opening Pandora's box, increasing the risks of escalation and bringing us gradually closer to conflict with Iran."

Xinhua contributed to this story.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201805/10/WS5af34a40a3105cdcf651cfca.html

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Trumpland has gone even more crazy than usual.

Now there is an opportunity for China to fill the void left by the USA in the JCPOA.

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Trumpland has gone even more crazy than usual.

Now there is an opportunity for China to fill the void left by the USA in the JCPOA.

JF-17 is the ideal replacement for F-5 in the small multi role jet class. DSI. Not even Gripen has it.

 

[bobsm]

Trumpland has gone even more crazy than usual.

Now there is an opportunity for China to fill the void left by the USA in the JCPOA.

You might be right.

China has quietly been preparing to 'fill the vacuum' created by the US leaving the Iran
Rosie Perper
18 HOURS

NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images
China's role in global diplomacy has been rising, and Trump's decision to pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal may have given Beijing a major boost.

Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Business Insider that China has been playing a "smart, quiet game" with its Middle East diplomacy efforts, but may now choose to "fill the vacuum left by the United States."

China is a key trade partner of Iran's, and may be seen as a natural choice to lead future negotiations, giving Beijing more diplomatic power in the Middle East.

China's role in global diplomacy has been rising, and Trump's decision to pull the US out of the Iran nuclear deal may have given Beijing a major boost.

China has been playing a "smart, quiet game" with its Middle East diplomacy efforts and may now be able to take on a more leading role in the region, Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told Business Insider.

"China is the country most likely to fill the shoes of the US," said Vatanka. "When the US is out of the equation, it might not be a bad move for China to speak up and present themselves as the one actor that can come in - together with the Europeans and the Russians - to fill the vacuum left by the US."

China is one of the signatories of the 2015 Iranian nuclear agreement, which promised Iran relief from sanctions in exchange for the country limiting its nuclear program. Compared to other global powers, China has in the past taken a more muted role in the deal's negotiations and implementation.

"The Chinese haven't wanted to leave a big footprint in the deal diplomatically, and instead have preferred to focus much more on trade, which long-term has given them more leverage and influence," Vatanka said.

But China is one of Iran's largest trade partners and accounts for 22.3% of Iran's total trade. China's Belt and Road Initiative has significantly expanded trade opportunities between the two countries and China has pumped billions into Iran's economy.

With such an important trade relationship, China will likely be the natural choice to lead future negotiations with Iran, giving Beijing even more diplomatic power in the Middle East.

The US has also handed major diplomatic victories to China recently.

By pulling out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, China was able to redirect trade agreements in Asia, and the departure from the Paris Climate Agreement allowed China to take the lead in discussions on climate change.


http://nordic.businessinsider.com/c...um-from-us-leaving-iran-deal-2018-5?r=US&IR=T

 

[HAIDER]

Trumpland has gone even more crazy than usual.

Now there is an opportunity for China to fill the void left by the USA in the JCPOA.

US analyst believe withdrawal leave the power vacuum