China says Iran deal good for Sino-US relations

Nuclear deal will open 'new page' in relations: Rouhani

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks during a news conference with Mongolian Foreign Minister Lundeg Purevsuren (not in picture) after their meeting in Beijing.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talks during a news conference with Mongolian Foreign Minister Lundeg Purevsuren (not in picture) after their meeting in Beijing.
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Reuters, Beijing :
This week’s framework nuclear deal with Iran was also good for boosting relations between China and the United States, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
 The agreement can be attributed to all sides seizing a historic opportunity through concerted efforts, Wang told Kerry, China’s foreign ministry said in a statement released late on Friday.
“China and the United States, both taking on major responsibilities in safeguarding the international nuclear non-proliferation system, maintained good contact with each other during the negotiations, while instilling positive energy into bilateral relations,” the statement cited Wang as saying.
“In a bid to finalise a comprehensive deal as scheduled, China will maintain close coordination with all parties concerned, including the United States, and continue to play a constructive role during the process,” Wang added.
While China and the United States are at loggerheads over everything from cybersecurity to the value of China’s yuan currency, the world’s two largest economies also cooperate closely on certain international issues, including the Iranian and North Korean nuclear disputes.
The Chinese statement cited Kerry as saying that the United States appreciates China’s important and constructive role in the latest Iran nuclear talks.
The tentative agreement, struck on Thursday after eight days of talks between Iran and six world powers in Lausanne, Switzerland, clears the way for a settlement to allay Western fears that Iran could build an atomic bomb, with economic sanctions on Tehran being lifted in return.
Meanwhile, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said Friday a nuclear deal with world powers would open a “new page” for the country’s international relations and lead to greater cooperation.
n a live televised address, Rouhani also said a final agreement would depend on both sides living up to their commitments.
“If the other side honours its promises, we will honour our promises,” he said a day after Iran and the P5+1 group of nations led by the United States clinched a tentative framework for a nuclear deal.
“The world should know we are not about deceit and hypocrisy,” he said, but noted: “If one day they want to choose a different path, that choice would also be open to us.”
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