British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said today that an international agreement to limit Iran's nuclear program could give impetus to efforts aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Hammond, who is in Beijing for talks on security cooperation and climate change, made the comments during a speech to students at elite Peking University. He is to meet with Chinese senior foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi tomorrow and visit an Airbus assembly plant in Tianjin.
Calling the Iran agreement reached in Vienna a "major success for multilateral diplomacy," Hammond said there "may be lessons to be drawn around the world including on tackling nuclear proliferation" in North Korea.
While offering no specifics, Hammond said Britain strongly supports the long-stalled six-nation negotiating process on North Korea hosted by China. Britain shares an interest "in ensuring that this particular multilateral initiative succeeds in bringing to an end North Korea's nuclear weapons program. China, of course, has a particularly influential role to play," he said.
Britain has strongly endorsed the agreement among Iran, the United States and other world powers to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for an end to economic sanctions, despite heavy opposition from Israel and some in the US.
Congress who say the restrictions don't go far enough. China has friendly relations with Iran and has pushed for a deal that would end sanctions.
London recently won Beijing's approval by agreeing to become a charter member of the Chinese-backed Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, despite US opposition.
However, China has also harshly criticized Britain over a 2012 meeting between Prime Minister David Cameron and exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama, as well as Britain's questioning of Chinese policy in Hong Kong, a former British colony.
Hammond's talks also were expected to touch on a potential accord at Paris climate change talks in November. Top carbon polluter China has been praised by some for setting a target of capping its emissions before 2030.
