CHINA "HAS NO PLANS" TO SEND AN OFFICIAL TO THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIJING 002321 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR ISN, NEA AND IO E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/09/2017 TAGS: KNNP IAEA PARM IR CH SUBJECT: CHINA "HAS NO PLANS" TO SEND AN OFFICIAL TO THE NATANZ RIBBON-CUTTING REF: STATE 45880 Classified By: Acting Political Section Chief Robert Griffiths. Reason s 1.4 b/d. (C) Poloff delivered reftel message to MFA International Organizations Department Director Yang Tao on April 9, urging China not to send a diplomat from its embassy in Tehran to the April 9 ribbon-cutting of the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant. Yang said that he understood the reason for our message, but referred Poloff to MFA Arms Control and Disarmament Department Nuclear Division Director Xu Qing. Xu told us that China has no plans to send an official to the Iranian ceremony and promised to convey our message to senior MFA officials. He phoned Poloff later in the day to say that we should also speak with the MFA West Asia and North African Affairs Department. Poloff spoke with Deputy Director for Iran Xu Wei who acknowledged what poloff had been told earlier, but would not state conclusively that that China would not send any official to the ceremony. RANDT