China: We Will Fulfill Our Promise to Redesign the Arak Reactor

The Chinese Foreign Minister emphasized after a meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif that China will fulfill its commitment to redesign the Arak heavy water reactor. Wang Yi, speaking at a joint press conference on Tuesday, September 15, stated that "China will continue its constructive role regarding Iran's nuclear program." He also noted that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will impact the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East and related areas, and that "if all relevant parties adhere to their commitments under the JCPOA, the space for reaching further agreements and resolving regional disputes will be more positive." Iranian news agencies reported that Zarif described the sanctions as "illegal" and stated that "after the lifting of sanctions, China and Iran will be reliable partners in energy, trade, and economic fields." Zarif also referred to China's "constructive role" in redesigning the Arak reactor, expressing belief that with the implementation of the JCPOA and the lifting of illegal barriers against Iran, the two countries' relations will significantly improve. According to IRNA, in addition to the nuclear agreement, cooperation between the two countries on regional issues and "using political solutions to resolve regional and international issues, especially combating terrorism and extremism, were among the main topics of the Iranian Foreign Minister's discussions in Beijing." Zarif, who traveled to China on Monday, September 14, left the country for Bangladesh on Tuesday evening. This was Zarif's first visit to Beijing after the Vienna nuclear agreement and shortly after the visit of Ali Akbar Salehi, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, to China. Iranian news agencies reported that Salehi visited the heavy water reactor in China on September 25 and discussed Beijing's commitment under the Vienna nuclear agreement to redesign the Arak heavy water reactor. On September 14, Salehi also held a trilateral meeting with representatives from the U.S. and China on the same subject on the sidelines of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna. China, as a member of the 1+5 group, participated in nuclear negotiations with Iran and, based on the nuclear agreement last July, is set to collaborate with the U.S. in redesigning the Arak reactor, with a joint working group previously announced to be formed among the three countries. According to the Vienna nuclear agreement, the core of the Arak heavy water reactor must be redesigned to minimize the possibility of producing plutonium at a level that could be used in nuclear weapons, and instead, the reactor will produce isotopes for medical and industrial research. China, a major trading partner of Iran and one of its main oil buyers, had to significantly reduce its oil purchases from Iran following U.S. sanctions on banking and oil transactions in 2012 to avoid U.S. penalties. The U.S. threatened to sanction foreign companies and entities that conducted transactions with Iran's central bank. China also delayed the implementation of a $5 billion contract for the development of the 11th phase of the South Pars gas field with the National Iranian Oil Company until Iran eventually announced in 2014 that it was sidelining China from the project. Now, China and Iran once again hope to enhance their economic relations after the lifting of sanctions, although China continued to sell commercial goods to Iran during this period.