File photo taken on December 29, 2010 shows a view of Abadan refinery, the largest one in Iran, in southwestern Iranian city of Abadan. Photo: Xinhua
The White House's announcement Monday that seven countries have been exempted from US-imposed sanctions over Iran, but China remains on the list, "sets up a potential collision with China," commented the New York Times.
Sanction is a repulsive word to Chinese. China opposes Iran developing nuclear weapons, a view shared by the US. But Chinese hate to be forced to follow the American way. Sanctions against Tehran are designed to protect US interests, but ignore China's. The US' anti-proliferation policy hides the intention of toppling the current Iranian regime.
China is a major importer of Iranian oil. This trade relationship cannot simply be stopped because the US requires it. Washington has either forgotten China's situation, or more likely, has the dual goals of weakening Iran and disrupting China's oil supply.
Can sanctions deter Iran's nuclear development? North Korea offers some clues. Tehran is better equipped than Pyongyang to resist sanctions. Iran has denied it is developing nuclear weapons and there is no evidence to prove it is. Iran is still a member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It also agrees to discuss its uranium enrichment program.
Washington made an embarrassing intelligence mistake in Saddam's Iraq. Could the same mistake be repeated in Iran? The US sanctions are meant to choke Tehran, making war a dangerous possibility. Right now, it is difficult to tell which one poses the larger challenge to the US: Iran having nuclear weapons or the current Tehran government itself.
Ordinary Iranian people are suffering from the sanctions. Without UN authorization, the US-led sanctions should be condemned as a barbaric practice. If Washington goes on to punish Chinese companies for China continuing to import Iranian oil, we are certainly not completely defenseless. "Punishing China" has been a mantra repeatedly chanted by some US politicians. To most Chinese, it is nonsense.
The US is not omnipotent. It has left a mess in Afghanistan and Iraq. In fact, it has involved itself in a lot of the region's turbulence, but failed to set up a new model. Punishing and disrupting other countries are seemingly ways for Washington to release its energy, maintaining its status as a global hegemonic power.
It is hoped that the thorny Iran nuclear issue can be solved through negotiation, and China is only one of the parties involved. If the Chinese government is forced to collide with Washington over Iran, it will not be criticized by Chinese society.
White House is making a big bet on disrupting Iran, but the odds of winning this time are much lower.
Related Report:
China's foreign ministry reiterated yesterday that it opposes any country imposing unilateral sanctions on another country pursuant to its domestic law, in response to possible punitive measures by the US for its continuing oil imports from Iran.
Iran prepared to endure history's blows
The West wants us to lag behind and live in poverty so we can rely on them. This is where the real problem lies.