China dislikes proposed Iran energy sanctions

China has made clear to the United States and four other world powers that it dislikes a proposed ban on new investments in Iran's energy sector as part of a new round of UN sanctions, diplomats said on Sunday.                                           

After months of delay, China reluctantly agreed to join the other permanent members of the Security Council and Germany -- a group often referred to as the "P5-plus-one" -- in New York last week to begin drafting a sanctions resolution against Iran for refusing to suspend its uranium enrichment program.          
 

But the diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Reuters that Chinese UN ambassador Li Baodong indicated his displeasure at the proposals affecting Iran's energy sector during the 3-hour meeting with his US, British, French, German and Russian counterparts on Thursday.                                           

"In general, the Chinese ambassador did not want to discuss specifics of the text," a diplomat said, referring to a US sanctions proposal that is the basis of talks among the six.                   

"The first meeting in New York was for an initial exchange of views on the US draft," the diplomat added. Another envoy confirmed his comments.                                           

The Chinese did convey the impression that Beijing had problems with the proposals regarding Iran's energy sector, a diplomat said.