China is urging Iran to be "flexible and pragmatic" during its nuclear talks with six world powers, including China, next month.

President Hu Jintao made the comment on the sidelines of a summit in Beijing, telling Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that although progress was made at the last meeting between Iran and the so-called P5-plus-1 group of world powers, Iran needs to keep the dialogue open and ongoing.

China, along with Russia, have been criticized for siding with Iran over the budding nuclear program that has Western and United Nations observers nervous. According to YNet, China is trying to be the mediating force, and Hu added on Friday that Iran should be more willing to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency, which Tehran compared to a spy agency earlier this week. Representatives from Iran and the IAEA are currently meeting in Vienna.

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