China should not let tensions stymie Iran cooperation: US

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BEIJING, Mar 18 (AFP): Sino-US differences over Taiwan and Tibet should not stop Beijing from backing strong sanctions on Iran or trip up bilateral cooperation on global issues, the US ambassador said Thursday.
"Differences on Taiwan and Tibet cannot, must not, prevent us from working together to create jobs, address climate change, and prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons capability," ambassador Jon Huntsman said.
"We look to China to support strong sanctions should Iran continue to stall on the dialogue track," he told students at Beijing's Tsinghua University during a speech that came amid strained Sino-US relations.
Russia, the United States, France, Britain, China and Germany have been pressuring Iran over its nuclear programme amid fears Tehran is trying to build a nuclear weapon.
However, while Moscow has indicated it could be adopting a tougher stance toward Iran, China has continued to resist fresh sanctions.
Washington angered Beijing in January by approving the sale of 6.4 billion dollars worth of weapons to Taiwan, and again when US President Barack Obama met the Dalai Lama at the White House last month.
The two nations have also been at odds over Beijing's management of its yuan currency, with US senators introducing legislation Tuesday that would impose tough new penalties on China if it failed to let the yuan rise in value.
Last week, Obama also renewed calls for China to embrace a "market-oriented" exchange rate.
"I suspect there will be many important negotiations in the weeks ahead," said Huntsman.
Critics of China's forex policy say Beijing keeps the yuan's value artificially low, which makes its exports cheaper and thus more competitive on overseas markets.
He said he was "optimistic" that China's President Hu Jintao would attend a global security summit in Washington next month, a visit to the United States that is reportedly in jeopardy due to the turmoil in ties.
"I don't even want to speculate on President Hu not being there, I think they recognise what an important issue this is not only to the US-China relationship but also the people of the world," Huntsman said.