China This Week: No More Iran Sanctions, Co-op with Pakistan & New Zealand, Concern on US-South Korea Drill, & More

China opposes expansion of sanctions on Iran: China said on Tuesday that UN Security Council sanctions against Iran should not be expanded.

"China has noted that the United States and other parties have unilaterally imposed further sanctions on Iran," said Qin Gang, Foreign Ministry spokesman, referring to the new sanctions approved by US President Barack Obama on 1 July.

China Watch: Beijing Media’s Global Expansion (Shan Shan)

Described by Obama as the "toughest" ones ever passed by the Congress, the new sanctions penalize international firms linked to Iran's energy industry, Revolutionary Guards or nuclear programs.

China, Pakistan ink six deals: China and Pakistan signed agreements, covering areas such as agriculture, health care, justice, media, economy, and technology, in Beijing on Wednesday. Chinese President Hu Jintao and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari vowed to jointly fight the "three forces" of extremism, separatism ,and terrorism.

As a sign of closer cooperation, a joint anti-terrorism drill, code-named "Friendship 2010", is between held between Chinese and Pakistani armed forces in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region.

Hu said China would explore new ways to cooperate and extend cooperation between the two countries in areas such as energy, transportation, telecommunication, infrastructure and agriculture.

Chinese combat troops "can join UN peacekeeping": China will consider sending combat troops overseas at the request of the United Nations, Senior Colonel Tao Xiangyang, deputy director of the ministry's peacekeeping affairs office, said on Tuesday.

He added that the UN has so far not made any such request to China and China has to be extremely cautious about the issue: "We will have to take into account our national defense policy, which is defensive in nature, the international community's response, as well as our troops' capability."

Since 1990, China has sent 15,603 soldiers on 18 UN peacekeeping missions. Three military observers and six soldiers died during the missions.

At the end of last month, China had deployed soldiers in nine UN missions, including those in Liberia, Congo, Sudan, and Lebanon.

China’s serious concern about US-South Korea drill: China said Tuesday it is seriously concerned about a scheduled joint naval drill between the United States and the Republic of Korea in the Yellow Sea.

The parties should refrain from doing things that might escalate tensions and harm the security interests of the countries in the region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.

The four-day anti-submarine drills were originally scheduled for last month, as part of the response to the sinking of a South Korean warship in late March, which killed 46 sailors.

According to latest reports, the military exercise may be conducted after UN action against North Korea over the warship issue.

China, New Zealand eye closer energy co-operation: Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and visiting New Zealand Prime Minister John Key agreed on Wednesday to further bilateral cooperation in areas such as energy, food security, and the green economy.

Wen and Key pledged to implement the bilateral Free Trade Agreement. Signed in October 2008, the pact was the first of its kind between China and a developed country.

China’s co-op with Myanmar and Tonga: Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday pledged to speed up and expand cooperation with Myanmar on energy and transport.

China and Myanmar had reached consensus on many issues regarding economic cooperation in recent years, Li said.

Meanwhile, China and Tonga pledged on Wednesday to strengthen military cooperation and exchanges on Wednesday. Military ties between China and Tonga have developed steadily with frequent visits and good cooperation in personnel training, said Chen Bingde, chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army of China.



China to host UN climate change talks: China will host UN climate change talks in Tianjin in October, Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Tuesday.

It is the first time for China to host the UN climate change talks and also the last round of negotiations before the next big UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) gathering, taking place in the Mexican resort of Cancun from November 29 to December 10.

The Tianjin talks, part of the UNFCCC, will aim to consolidate the status of the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol as the main channels for negotiation and to make new progress, Qin noted.

China’s new nuclear power stations: China, which is currently building the largest number of nuclear power stations worldwide, is expected to use one of the most advanced technologies for constructing 10 of its nuclear reactors, an energy official said on Monday.

Compared with other reactors already in use in China, those using the third-generation technology are considered to be safer and able to operate longer.

As the world's second-largest energy consumer, China now has 11 nuclear power reactors in operation. These reactors have a total capacity of 9.1 gigawatts, accounting for about 1 percent of the country's total power capacity.

China is currently building 23 nuclear power units. The proportion of nuclear power is expected to account for 15 percent of the country's total power capacity in 2050, industry sources said.