Need to Upgrade Tehran-Beijing Relations

Head of the Center for Strategic Research of the Expediency Council Ali Akbar Velayati hailed growing relations between Tehran and Beijing, saying it is important to develop the ties to “strategic” levels. “The Islamic Republic attaches significance to elevating mutual relations to broad and strategic ties,” Velayati said on Wednesday in a meeting in Tehran with Chinese Ambassador Pang Sen, Tasnim News Agency reported. He called for increasing cooperation between Iran and China for resolving regional and international issues. The Chinese ambassador described the level of bilateral ties as satisfactory, saying that since the Chinese president’s visit to Iran earlier this year, Sino-Iranian relations have developed significantly.

During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s official visit to Iran back in January, the two country’s officials signed 17 documents for cooperation in economic, industrial, cultural and judicial fields. The documents included an accord signed between Iranian and Chinese nuclear chiefs for cooperation in the field of energy production. Others involved documents on environmental cooperation, financing of a high-speed train railroad and bank transactions.