Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is visiting China. BBC reports:
Israeli PM Ehud Olmert has said he has received candid reassurance from China that the country opposes any plans by Iran to develop nuclear weapons.
Mr Olmert, in China as part of a three-day visit, met his Chinese counterpart Wen Jibao.
Speaking after the discussions, Mr Olmert said he was “positively surprised” by what he had heard.
The US and EU claim Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, but Iran says its programme is entirely peaceful. [Full text]
See also reports from People’s Daily and Haaretz. On a related note, see this AP report on recent Chinese deals with Iran and the US reaction:
The United States has urged China to reconsider its reported $16 billion natural gas deal with Iran out of regard for international efforts to sanction Tehran over its nuclear program, a U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said Tuesday.
China’s No. 3 oil company, China National Offshore Oil Corp., is said to be in talks to develop Iran’s Northern Pars gas field.
Given the sanctions and Tehran’s continued defiance, “we think this is a particularly bad time to be initiating major new commercial deals with Iran,” U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Susan Stevenson said in an e-mail. [Full text]