US officials have expressed optimism China is open to working with Washington in its efforts to get big oil importers to reduce dependence on supplies from Iran, write Kathrin Hille and Jamil Anderlini in Beijing.

The officials spoke after Tim Geithner, US Treasury secretary, arrived in Beijing as part of a lobbying effort to add further pressure on Tehran over its nuclear programme. “We are telling the [Chinese] what’s important to us and they are listening,” said a senior US official in Beijing yesterday. “We have a reasonable shot at getting a number of countries to wean themselves off Iranian oil.”

Mr Geithner, who was flying on to Japan today, is trying to convince Beijing and Tokyo, two of the largest buyers of Iranian oil, to diversify their energy sources.