China Defends Relationship with Iran, Refuses to Halt Oil Imports

China is defending its relationship with Iran, calling their cooperation “justified, reasonable and lawful.”
During a news conference Friday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China does not support unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic or “long arm jurisdiction.”
Shuang went on to suggest China’s rights and interests should be preserved.
“We hope Japan will translate its positive remarks regarding China-Japan ties into concrete actions, do something conducive to improving ties and push forward with the development of bilateral relations in the right path,” he stated.
The remarks come in response to an American request to halt Iranian oil imports.
According to recent reports, Chinese officials did not agree to stop the oil imports. However, they said the country would agree to not increase them.