Trilateral meeting seen as evidence of China’s diplomatic efforts to uphold multilateralism, stability
As China, Russia and Iran prepare for talks on the Iranian nuclear issue in Beijing on March 14, observers said the meeting would again highlight China’s unique role in advocating the political settlement of regional and international hot spot issues.
China’s Vice-Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu is chairing the meeting, which are attended by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov Sergey Alexeevich and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on March 12.
“The three parties will exchange views on the Iranian nuclear issue and other issues of mutual interest,” Mao told reporters at a regular news briefing in Beijing.
In 2015, Iran reached a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, with China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and Germany, which lifted sanctions on Teheran in return for curbs on its nuclear program.
In May 2018, the US unilaterally quit the plan and reimposed sanctions on Iran under its “maximum pressure” policy. Consequently, in 2019, Iran began to scale back its JCPOA obligations but its violations are largely reversible.
Last week, the US urged fresh talks on Iran’s nuclear program and warned of possible military action if it refuses. Iran said it will not be “bullied” into talks with the US on the nuclear issue.
Experts called the Beijing meeting a significant diplomatic effort made by China to uphold multilateralism and regional stability.
They noted that China has long been committed to promoting a peaceful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue and maintained communication with relevant countries through various channels to reach a broad consensus.
Wu Bingbing, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Peking University, said that choosing Beijing as the venue for the talks shows Iran’s endorsement of China as a crucial party to the Iranian nuclear issue.
Wu said he expects China to reiterate its support for the full implementation of the JCPOA, calling on relevant parties to work together to achieve the goal.
Amid rising uncertainties, including Washington’s reimposition of the “maximum pressure” policy on Iran last month, he said the meeting would help reinforce the three parties’ consensus on opposing pressure and supporting dialogues.
Esmail Baqaei, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on March 12 that the tripartite talks will mainly address the issues related to nuclear energy and the lifting of sanctions.
As this year marks the 10th anniversary of the JCPOA, Sun Degang, director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, said the Iranian nuclear issue has reached a crossroads, and a window of opportunity for preventing nuclear proliferation in the Middle East has opened.
Observers said the meeting is also an important test for current international relations and global governance, as the international community expects talks to achieve breakthroughs on the Iranian nuclear issue.
