Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
China, U.S. risk rifts in Middle East: former Chinese envoy
Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:41am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Chris Buckley
BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the United States risk deepening rifts over influence and oil in the Middle East, Beijing's former envoy to the region has said, urging his nation to bolster ties with Iran and other energy-exporting powers.
Sun Bigan was China's special envoy on the Middle East until March, and in a new essay he said U.S. President Barack Obama's effort to improve ties with Islamic states in the Middle East was a tactical shift that had not removed the potential for friction between Washington and Beijing in the region.
China faced growing risks to energy security as it increasingly relied on imported oil, especially from the volatile Middle East, where Beijing's sway had been limited, Sun said.
"The U.S. has always sought to control the faucet of global oil supplies. There is cooperation between China and the U.S., but there is also struggle, and the U.S. has always seen us as a potential foe," he wrote in the September issue of "Asia & Africa Review," which reached subscribers this week.
"Bilateral quarrels and clashes are unavoidable. We cannot lower vigilance against hostility in the Middle East over energy interests and security," Sun wrote in the Chinese-language journal, which is published by the State Council Development Research Center, a prominent state think tank.
Sun's essay was written before the latest flare-up over Iran's nuclear ambitions, which has renewed Western pressure on Beijing to distance itself from Iran and back sanctions.
China's Foreign Ministry has urged restraint on all sides ahead of talks between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, as well as Germany, in Geneva on Thursday. The permanent Council members are the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China.
Sun, who now works for a government-run association promoting ties with Asia and Africa, was not directly involved in nuclear negotiations with Iran, but he served as China's ambassador there, as well as in Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
He could not be contacted at the association on Wednesday.
BLUNT WARNING
The unusually blunt warning from a former senior diplomat, nonetheless underscores some of the anxieties over oil, influence and security that are likely to shape China's response to the West's confrontation with Iran.
"Both now and in the future, the Middle East should be our first choice in importing oil and developing oil cooperation," Sun wrote. China should focus on strengthening trade with Saudi Arabia, Iran and Oman, he added.
Washington would strive to ensure Iraqi oil remained under U.S. control, he said, but "Iran has bountiful energy resources and its oil gas reserves are the second biggest in the world, and all are basically under its own control."
"Oil gas" is the natural gas found in oil fields.
In the first eight months of this year, Iran was China's third biggest foreign source of crude oil, with shipments of 17.2 million tonnes, a rise of 14.7 percent compared to the same period last year. Angola and Saudi Arabia were the first- and second-ranked suppliers. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
FACTBOX: China's National Day parade
Your View
Send us your pictures
Were you there when the tsunami struck? Upload your photos or video now to share what you've witnessed. Full Coverage
More International News
Samoa tsunami toll may exceed 100, hundreds injured
Iran says will not discuss second nuclear plant
| Video
NATO chief assures Obama on Afghan war support
| Video
Beijing locked down ahead of national day parade
More Saudi help needed on terror finance: U.S. report
More International News...
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Phone off? Hugh Jackman stops Broadway show for ringing
Pacific tsunami warning cancelled, Samoa takes brunt
Samoa tsunami toll may exceed 100, hundreds injured
UPDATE 1-Lula faces criticism in Brazil over Honduras role
Rivals unfazed by shadow of Obama in 2016 bid
Toyota plans huge U.S. recall for dangerous floormats
UPDATE 8-Samoa tsunami toll may exceed 100, hundreds injured
Wal-Mart supersizes its $10 holiday toy program
After 60 years, China's Communists mean business | Video
Tsunami causes deaths in American Samoa-US park service
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Bomb plot suspect arraigned in NY
China anniversary captured in sand
NATO assures Obama on Afghan war
Philippines flood death toll climbs
2 US troops killed in Philippines
Polanski's extradition battle begins
Space tourist ready for blast off
Fire hoses are 'upcycled'
Manila cleans up after floods
Dozens die in Afghan bus bomb
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
analysis
After 60 years, China's Communists mean business
China's Communist Party will celebrate the 60th year of its rule over mainland China, having mostly abandoned its Marxist ideals for "socialism with Chinese characteristics" -- a messy mix of competitive capitalism and political monopoly. Full Article
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Journalism Handbook |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.