Despite Beijing's outright refusal to join the EU and US-sponsored unilateral sanctions on Iran's oil industry, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has arranged a visit to China to convince the country to reduce Iranian oil import.
A German government source told a news briefing on Tuesday that "It is in German interests that China does not raise its imports [from Iran]. It would be good if China would reduce its imports."
According to the source, Merkel will begin her trip to China on Wednesday.
This comes while China has criticized the European Union's new unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic, considering them as blind pressure and unconstructive.
“To blindly pressure and impose sanctions on Iran are not constructive approaches," the Chinese foreign ministry said on January 26 in reaction to the measures adopted by the EU over Iran's nuclear program.