China a tougher sell on trouble spots

The resulting “massive injection of political capital from China” may embolden North Korea, which held its second ever nuclear test in May, he added.

Obama may also appeal to Beijing for stronger backing to international efforts aimed at Iran's nuclear ambitions.

China has backed U.N. resolutions pressing Tehran to cooperate with international demands it open its nuclear activities to U.N. inspectors.

But Obama may find Beijing less willing to give ground, even if Iran rejects a proposal that would send its enriched uranium abroad for processing into nuclear fuel, reducing worries that Tehran could use the material for nuclear weapons activities.

Tehran says its nuclear facilities are for peaceful ends.

In a sign China remains intent on preserving energy and trade ties with Iran, Premier Wen Jiabao last month hosted the First Vice President of Iran, Mohammad Reza Rahimi, telling him that bilateral cooperation was a priority.

Iranian oil made up nearly 12 percent of China's crude imports last year.

China has increasingly come to believe Western-backed sanctions have made drawing Tehran into effective negotiations harder, said Jin Liangxiang, a researcher at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies who studies the Middle East.

“On Iran, the Chinese simply can hide behind the Russians who have made it clear that they won't support tougher sanctions,” Bonnie Glaser, an expert on China at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote in an email response to questions.

Even if Russia swings behind any new sanctions, China would go along only if it could insulate its stake in Iran, said Small.

“The bottom line is that in any one of these cases, China has never completely dropped anyone,” he said of Iran, North Korea and other states facing Western pressure.

“Economic issues now dominate relations with Washington, so China feels a bit more leeway on the security and foreign policy issues.”

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