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China urges restraint, especially from US, after Qasem Soleimani’s death
China was Iran’s biggest oil customer, importing about 22 million tons of crude oil from Iran in 2018.
China on Friday appealed for restraint from all sides, especially from the US, and said it opposes the use of force in international relations after Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in the US strike in Iraq.
“China has always opposed the use of force in international relations,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at the regular ministry press briefing on Friday.
“We urge the relevant sides, especially the US, to remain calm and exercise restraint to avoid further escalating tensions,” Geng said.
Geng said all sides should abide by the principles of the UN and the “basic norms of international relations”. On Iraq, he said the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity must be respected.
Just earlier this week, China’s foreign minister Wang Yi told Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, that Beijing and Tehran should stand together against “unilateralism and bullying” – targeting Washington.
Wang met Zarif in Beijing following joint naval drills between Iran, China and Russia in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman last week.
“The Chinese side supports all constructive efforts that help ease the current tension and uphold the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” Wang was quoted by state media as telling Zarif.
Wang said the US has withdrawn from the JCPOA, also known as the Iran nuclear deal, and taken a maximum pressure tactic against Iran, which was to blame for the current tension of the Iran nuclear issue.
“China will firmly defend international fairness and justice, oppose unilateralism and bullying, and work to promote a political and diplomatic settlement of the Iran nuclear issue,” Wang said.
Wang said the parties involved in the pact should “withstand external pressure and deal with disputes through dialogue and negotiations in order to continue safeguarding and implementing the comprehensive deal”.
China was Iran’s biggest oil customer, importing about 22 million tons of crude oil from Iran in 2018.
But latest Chinese customs data, quoted by the Bourse & Bazaar website, said there was a “…significant drop in purchases of Iranian oil. The declared value of September imports was just USD 254 million, down 34 percent from August and down 80 percent from the same month last year (2018)”.
Iran, however, remains a key ally for China and Beijing, as per state media reports, looks at Tehran as an important part of President Xi Jinping’s international connectivity project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
