Almost 200 officials from the Obama Administration, some of those being Hillary Clinton and Timothy Geithner, will be heading to Beijing next week for a talks on trade and the yuan. However, no doubt the current issues with North Korea and Iran will be on the table.
China’s involvement with North Korea has certainly been an interest of late. Washington has long urged Beijing to do more to press these countries to curb their nuclear ambitions. South Korea's official finding that a North Korean torpedo sank its warship, the Cheonan, in late March killing 46 sailors will add to U.S. demands on China, the North's sole major backer.
Kim Jong-il visited Beijing this month and China will keep all statements about its dealings with North Korea to a minimum, but another concern will be Tehran. China has recently agreed to sanctions concerning Iran, but on the economic front, China's biggest oil company is pressing ahead with oil-and-gas projects in Iran valued at billions of dollars, highlighting Beijing's strong economic ties to Tehran.
Faced at home with both declining oil production and rising demand, China has been importing more oil from countries like Iran. China believes stability in the Middle East is good for energy security, but it doesn't want sanctions to cut off its supply of Iranian crude, which could have forced it to buy more oil elsewhere with the possible effect of driving up global prices.
China’s involvement with North Korea has certainly been an interest of late. Washington has long urged Beijing to do more to press these countries to curb their nuclear ambitions. South Korea's official finding that a North Korean torpedo sank its warship, the Cheonan, in late March killing 46 sailors will add to U.S. demands on China, the North's sole major backer.
Kim Jong-il visited Beijing this month and China will keep all statements about its dealings with North Korea to a minimum, but another concern will be Tehran. China has recently agreed to sanctions concerning Iran, but on the economic front, China's biggest oil company is pressing ahead with oil-and-gas projects in Iran valued at billions of dollars, highlighting Beijing's strong economic ties to Tehran.
Faced at home with both declining oil production and rising demand, China has been importing more oil from countries like Iran. China believes stability in the Middle East is good for energy security, but it doesn't want sanctions to cut off its supply of Iranian crude, which could have forced it to buy more oil elsewhere with the possible effect of driving up global prices.
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