Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who arrived in Tehran on late Saturday for a three-day visit, met with President Hassan Rouhani and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday.
In a joint press conference after the meeting with Zarif, The Chinese official said relations with Iran are high on Beijing's foreign policy agenda. He described Iran as a major country which plays a key role in the region and said, "Relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are a foreign policy priority for Beijing," Fars news agency reported.
He expressed satisfaction with his first visit to Iran as Chinese foreign minister and congratulated his Iranian counterpart on the occasion of the 36th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Wang called for expansion of relations in all areas and pointed out, “Mutual political trust should be fostered and the two countries’ officials should increase their interactions.”
Elsewhere, the top Chinese diplomat thanked President Rouhani for extending an invitation to his Chinese counterpart to visit Iran and said, “The Chinese president is prepared to make a visit to Iran at an appropriate time.”
Historic Opportunity
On his discussions with Zarif on the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany) on Tehran’s nuclear program, Wang said, “The two sides have a historical opportunity which, despite some challenges, should be appropriately seized to resolve the issue.”
In response to a question about his view on the outcome of the nuclear talks, he said, “The negotiations have made positive progress.”
The Chinese foreign minister stated, “China has always sought a peaceful solution to Iran’s nuclear issue, and we believe that it should be settled through dialogue,” adding, “We are opposed to a military option and wide-ranging sanctions imposed on Iran.”
He continued, “Striking a comprehensive deal… is the major goal and is beneficial to both Iran and regional states.”
In addition, He said the volume of trade between the two countries has reached over $51 billion, which is the highest level in the history of bilateral relations, adding, “This shows that there is great potential for cooperation between the two countries.”
Positive Role
The foreign minister, for his part, pointed to the nuclear talks with the major powers and said, “Our Chinese friends have played a good part (in the negotiations) and we are certain that with political resolve the ground is prepared for an agreement.”
Referring to a planned visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Iran, Zarif said increased interaction between the two countries’ officials indicates that bilateral relations are growing, adding, “Today in our meeting, we discussed bilateral and regional issues as well as the nuclear negotiations, and various areas for expansion of excellent relations between the two countries were reviewed.”
On Iran-China economic ties, the foreign minister said, “There are various areas for promoting cooperation.”
