The European Union's foreign affairs chief said Friday that China is willing to discuss sanctions on Iran as long as they are carefully targeted and bolster efforts to curb the Iranian nuclear program. EU Foreign Affairs High Representative Catherine Ashton said her discussions with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao show that China's position has evolved from agreeing in principal to discuss sanctions to recognizing that targeted sanctions play a role. “We weren't discussing whether or not. We were discussing what sort” of sanctions, Ashton told reporters. She said that Wen wants to make sure that the sanctions are not so broad as to affect large segments of the population, but rather are targeted. As a permanent UN Security Council member with veto power and a major customer for Iran's oil and gas, China occupies a pivotal position in efforts to curb the Iranian nuclear program. Diplomats involved in trying to persuade Beijing to support sanctions previously thought that at best China would abstain in a Security Council vote and not back them – a lack of unanimity that might encourage more foot-dragging by Tehran. Publicly, China has given no sign that it is moving beyond its stated position that dialogue rather than sanctions offer the best chances for success. Ashton said that she too supports a negotiated settlement but not endless talk.
