BEIJING. May 14 (Interfax) - The United States' withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal might undermine the entire global nuclear nonproliferation system, a high-ranking Chinese diplomat said.
"The Iranian nuclear program is an important issue for strategic stability around the world, particularly in the Middle East," Chinese Foreign Ministry Department of European-Central Asian Affairs Deputy Director-General Liu Bin told Russian journalists in Beijing.
"The nuclear deal with Tehran is a balanced and integrated agreement reached following lengthy negotiations," Liu said, adding that "the conclusion of this agreement gave hope that the issue of the Iranian nuclear program would be settled."
"This is precisely why the relevant country's decision to withdraw from the agreement has generated frustration and non-acceptance among other countries," he said.
"We urge the relevant countries to uphold the agreement's integrity and authority," Liu said.
"We believe the derailment of this agreement's implementation may put the issue of the Iranian nuclear program back on the old track, and this might undermine the international nuclear nonproliferation system," he said.
At the same time, Beijing "opposes the arbitrary imposition of economic sanctions and the exterritorial application of laws in international relations," Liu said.
"We see this as an abnormal way to settle inter-state relations," he said.