China Unlikely to Join Embargo Against Iranian Oil

The decision by India to continue importing from Tehran in spite of Western sanctions shines uncomfortable light on the powerful nationalist sentiments among the Chinese.

China remains Tehran's largest trading partner and biggest oil customer. Cooperation from China is crucial to the West's plan to use the embargo to force Iran to stop uranium enrichment.

When the European Union announced a ban last week on the 600,000 barrels a day it imports from Iran beginning July 1, the state-owned National Iranian Oil Co. said it "will easily replace European customers."

China, which imports about 20 percent of the Iranian oil and is 50 percent dependent on Middle Eastern oil, has been is the natural "replacement" for the loss of E.U. purchases.

Beijing is walking a fine line. Both the E.U. and U.S. sanctions have been widely denounced by the Chinese public that harbors resentment that the West is keen on containing the rise of emerging countries.

On Internet forums Chinese "net-izens" have criticized the leadership for "caving in" to western influence and betraying its allies and true national interests.

"China has been under some sort of U.S. sanctions or other for several decades now," wrote one. "How can the (Chinese) Communist Party think that abandoning Iran and ganging up with the Americans serves China's interests?"

Western sanctions have also come on the heels of Washington unveiling a new military strategy that seeks to counter potential attempts by China and Iran to block U.S. capabilities in areas like the South China Sea and the Strait of Hormuz.

"Beijing has always made the stability of U.S.-China relations the centerpiece of its foreign policy," commentator Zhang Liwei says. "It is about time that our leadership rethinks this. At a time when the U.S. is clearly trying to contain China, this U.S. focus is not helpful in protecting the country's global interests and China will lose even more friends. What is happening in the South China Sea should serve as a warning signal."

Beijing has shown little enthusiasm for the sanctions. "To blindly pressure and impose sanctions on Iran are not constructive approaches," China's foreign ministry has been quoted as saying.

Beijing modus operandi favors "dialogue and consultation" and Chinese leaders shy from outright public confrontation, bans or military intervention.