French President Nicolas Sarkozy has urged his Chinese counterpart to consider sanctions against Iran if negotiations on its controversial nuclear activities fail.
The French president made his case to China's Hu Jintao during a meeting Wednesday in Beijing.
France and other western nations want to place additional United Nations sanctions on Iran for its refusal to stop parts of its nuclear program that could be used to create weapons.
China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, has commercial ties with Iran and has been reluctant to support sanctions.
The two leaders also discussed the world economy during their meeting Wednesday. Mr. Hu called for greater cooperation among countries to reform international financial systems and to maintain global economic growth.
Mr. Sarkozy's three-day visit to China is meant to repair relations which reached a low-point in 2008 due to disagreements regarding Tibet.
He and his wife, Carla Bruni, began their trip Wednesday with a visit to the terra cotta warriors at the tomb of China's first emperor near the city of Xi'an.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters,