The U.S. demand for initiation of the snapback mechanism to restore UN sanctions against Iran was "completely unreasonable," Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Friday.
Wang made the remarks to reporters during a press conference after meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in southern China's Hainan Province.
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Noting that the last American administration had signed the Iran nuclear deal on behalf of the U.S., Wang pointed out it is common sense for Washington to bear the responsibility of the deal regardless of government transition.
As the U.S. contradicted itself by withdrawing from a signed deal, the Chinese foreign minister questioned who dares to sign a deal with the Americans. He added that the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has been widely opposed by the international community.
People attend a protest against U.S. sanctions on Iran and the killing of high-profile Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in San Francisco, the U.S., January 4, 2020. /Xinhua
"The United States only considered its own interests. It applied international law if the law was in conformity with the nation's need and discarded the law if it did not," said Wang.
He believes that international agreements are produced by relative parties' mutual concession and coordination.
Saying China noticed some countries said the Iran nuclear deal focused little on the regional security situation, Wang noted that in this case, China has put forward the constructive suggestion of establishing another multilateral arena where all parties can put forward their own concerns on the premise of safeguarding the authority and validity of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
"I would like to reiterate that the proposal China made still holds," he added.
In terms of the nuclear non-proliferation issue, Wang also stressed that China always advocates building a world without nuclear weapons.
China's nuclear policy is most progressive and strict among nuclear-armed countries, said the foreign minister, adding that China called on nuclear powers to lead by example in the process of building a world without nuclear weapons and the Chinese side is willing to continue to play a constructive role.
(Cover: Signs are seen during a rally against war with Iran outside the Capitol Hill in Washington, January 9, 2020. /Xinhua)