From Times Online:
China has pulled out of crucial London talks to discuss further sanctions against Iran, raising the prospect of the US, Britain and France going it alone to stop the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment programme.
In what is seen as an indication that China will not risk its economic interests in Iran by supporting extra UN sanctions, it was confirmed that it had called off its attendance at a meeting of officials from the “P5+1” group, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, which was scheduled for next Monday.
Officials had been due to meet to discuss a third round of UN sanctions against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after it was confirmed yesterday that he had reached a landmark 3,000 operational centrifuges.
However, a Foreign Office official told Times Online today that, unless a “miracle” happened over the weekend, the meeting was now unlikely to take place. [Full Text]