Chinese foreign minister Yang Jiechi on Sunday strongly signalled his country's reluctance to back sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, but did not shut the door completely to the possibility.
Washington and other Western powers want China's backing for a proposed United Nations resolution slapping new sanctions on Tehran, which they say is seeking the means to make nuclear weapons. Beijing has been reluctant to spell out its position.
Tehran denies it wants to build an atomic bomb and says its uranium enrichment is for future electricity generation and for medical isotopes.
Beijing has long said sanctions are not an effective tool for resolving international disputes, including over Iran, which is also a major source of crude oil for China.
"Frankly speaking, there are some difficulties surrounding efforts to settle the Iranian nuclear issue at present, but we don't think diplomatic efforts have been exhausted," said Yang, at a news conference held as part of China''s annual parliament session.
"As everyone knows, pressure and sanctions cannot fundamentally solve this issue," he added. "All parties should give full play to their political wisdom in seeking a comprehensive, reasonable and fair solution.
"Let me stress that it is our consistent position to uphold the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and peace and stability in the relevant region," Yang said.
China has backed previous UN resolutions against Iran, after working to cut out proposed measures that could threaten flows of oil and Chinese investments.
China is one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, and so holds the power to veto resolutions.
A draft Western proposal includes a call for restricting more Iranian banks abroad and urges, but does not call for sanctions against Iran's oil and gas industries, diplomats said on Friday.
