The nuclear issue in Iran is rapidly approaching a key deadline. Yet China has already stated it will block referral of the issue to the UN Security Council, during a visit to Iran by China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing. Instead Li said "Chian supoprts a solution in [the] framework of the IAEA", which has so far done precicely nothing to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. Not co-incidentally, China signed a massive oil and natural gas deal with Iran about a week ago. The terms of this deal are considered generous to China, according to The Economist (sub req'd).

China places a far higher value on energy security than is often realised. It is a sign of China's geopolitical immaturity that it cannot see past its short-term interests and its battle for oil in place of standing up to weapons proliferation or genocide in Sudan. Until that time China will never achieve the position of a first-rate world power.

UPDATE: New-ish blog Survived SARS also looks at the issue and China's "self-interested but procedurally sound" position.