Foreign and Military Affairs
Hu to attend nuclear security summit
By Cheng Guangjin and Ai yang (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-02 06:36
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China's stance is key as US seeks sanctions on Iran
BEIJING - President Hu Jintao will attend the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, the Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, ending widespread international speculation on who would represent China at the meeting.
"China values nuclear security, and opposes nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism," ministry spokesman Qin Gang told a regular press briefing.
The April 12-13 meeting, to be hosted by US President Barack Obama, will "discuss steps we can collectively take to secure vulnerable nuclear materials and prevent acts of nuclear terrorism," said White House spokesman Robert Gibbs.
Leaders and representatives of more than 40 countries and some regional and international organizations, such as the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), are expected to attend.
Obama has said he hopes the meeting will bring countries "together behind a clear goal: Securing all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world in four years, so that they never fall into the hands of terrorists".
Zhai Dequan, deputy director of the China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, said the US pins high hopes on the summit as there have been few achievements made in nuclear security.
"China will strive to see that all countries attending the meeting reach consensus on nuclear security," Zhai said.
After the summit, Hu will visit Brasilia, capital of Brazil, to attend the second summit of the BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia, India and China - from April 14 to 18.
Qin said the talks will "help enhance the overall influence of burgeoning markets in developing countries".
Meanwhile, Beijing on Thursday reiterated its position on resolving the Iran nuclear issue "through diplomatic means" as Teheran's top nuclear negotiator arrived in the capital.
Saeed Jalili is in Beijing at the invitation of State Councilor Dai Bingguo, and also met Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.
Soon after arriving in Beijing, Jalili told reporters: "The relationship between Iran and C
hina is very important, and it is very important for our two countries to cooperate on all issues."
Qin, repeating China's long-held stance of opposing sanctions, said: "We will strengthen communication with other parties and engage all parties to promote a proper resolution by diplomatic means."
International media have widely reported on China's role in possible sanctions against Iran.
Bloomberg said that China will, in the coming days, join talks in New York with the US, Britain, France, Russia and Germany.
"China has agreed to sit down and begin serious negotiations in New York," US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice told CNN on Wednesday.
Reuters said the basis for negotiations will be a US proposal agreed with its European allies and passed on to Russia and China a month ago.
But other frontline observers think otherwise. Al Jazeera's correspondent Cath Turner, reporting from the UN, said what has been agreed so far is just to "compile a list of possible sanctions to be discussed before a draft resolution is drawn up".
"Looking very closely at what has been agreed on, there is a long way to go until China is supposed to be supporting a new draft resolution for sanctions on Iran We need to be very careful that we don't buy into the American language of optimism and trumpeting some kind of breakthrough when really, it's only a very small step on a very long way to sanctions on Iran."
Explaining China's position, Yin Gang, a senior Middle East expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said "Iran hopes China prevents new sanctions. (But) Beijing hopes Teheran respects the international non-proliferation regime."
China Daily
