The United States and China agreed that Iran faced "consequences" if it resisted greater openness on its nuclear program, U.S. President Barack Obama said Tuesday after talks with China's Hu Jintao in Beijing.
Obama told reporters in a joint address to reporters that he and Hu "agreed that the Islamic Republic of Iran must provide assurances to the international community that its nuclear program is peaceful and transparent."
"On this point our two nations and (other global powers) are unified. Iran has an opportunity to present and demonstrate its peaceful intentions, but if it fails to take this opportunity, there will be consequences," Obama said.
China and the United States are among six world powers seeking a negotiated end to Iran's nuclear programs.
U.S.-Chinese cooperation
Iran has an opportunity to present and demonstrate its peaceful intentions, but if it fails to take this opportunity, there will be consequences
Both countries meanwhile agreed to cooperate on a host of issues from climate change to North Korea as Obama pledged positive and comprehensive ties with Beijing.
Both leaders also said they would work together to resolve trade frictions between the world's number one and three economies after their talks, the centerpiece of Obama's visit to the Asian giant.
In statements to the press, Obama said the two countries -- the world's top two emitters of greenhouse gases -- had "agreed to work toward a successful outcome" at crucial U.N.-backed climate change talks in Copenhagen next month.
Hopes had dimmed for a statement on how to combat global warming, after officials said following a weekend Asia-Pacific summit in Singapore that it was unrealistic to expect leaders to reach a binding pact in the Danish capital.
But Obama seemed to suggest that a deal could still be on the table.
On trade, Hu told reporters the two sides would "continue to have consultations on an equal footing to properly resolve economic and trade frictions."
Washington has angered China in recent months by imposing tariffs on Chinese tires and preliminary duties on some steel products. Beijing countered by launching its own probes into U.S. car imports and chicken meat.
Trade seems likely to top the agenda following a series of tit-for-tat moves in recent months that has sparked angry accusations from Beijing that the United States is engaging in blatant protectionism.
On Tibet, a sensitive issue for Beijing, Obama said while the United States recognized China's sovereignty over the region, it hoped for an "early resumption" of talks between the Dalai Lama's representatives and Beijing.
Obama was later to visit the Forbidden City and meet parliamentary speaker Wu Bangguo before a lavish state dinner hosted by Hu.
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