Smarterthanyou
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* Defends business dealings with Iran during Middle East visit
* But warns Tehran against any move to acquire nuclear weapons (Adds Chinese foreign ministry comment)
By Chris Buckley
BEIJING, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao defended his country's extensive oil imports from Iran against Western pressure to consider sanctions in comments published on Thursday, and yet forthrightly warned Tehran against any effort to acquire nuclear weapons.
Wen spoke at the end of a visit to the Middle East, against a backdrop of tensions over Iran -- which Western powers say is focused on developing nuclear arms --and possible U.S. sanctions on companies engaged in energy trade with Iran.
Iran has insisted its nuclear goals are peaceful, and in late December threatened to punish the latest Western sanctions by choking off oil flows 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, warning against any confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz. Beijing is usually much more coy in public about saying Iran could want nuclear arms.
Speaking at a news conference in Doha on Wednesday, Wen also took aim at both potential threats to China's oil imports: the U.S. 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 U.S. and European efforts to curtail Iranian oil exports and revenues, according to a transcript on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/01/19/china-iran-usa-idUKL3E8CJ1CV20120119
* But warns Tehran against any move to acquire nuclear weapons (Adds Chinese foreign ministry comment)
By Chris Buckley
BEIJING, Jan 19 (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao defended his country's extensive oil imports from Iran against Western pressure to consider sanctions in comments published on Thursday, and yet forthrightly warned Tehran against any effort to acquire nuclear weapons.
Wen spoke at the end of a visit to the Middle East, against a backdrop of tensions over Iran -- which Western powers say is focused on developing nuclear arms --and possible U.S. sanctions on companies engaged in energy trade with Iran.
Iran has insisted its nuclear goals are peaceful, and in late December threatened to punish the latest Western sanctions by choking off oil flows 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, warning against any confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz. Beijing is usually much more coy in public about saying Iran could want nuclear arms.
Speaking at a news conference in Doha on Wednesday, Wen also took aim at both potential threats to China's oil imports: the U.S. 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 U.S. and European efforts to curtail Iranian oil exports and revenues, according to a transcript on the Chinese Foreign Ministry's website (www.mfa.gov.)
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/01/19/china-iran-usa-idUKL3E8CJ1CV20120119