Tehran and Beijing have signed documents calling for closer cooperation in security matter, in particular counter-terrorism and fighting drug trafficking, an official in Iran’s Interior Ministry said.
Deputy interior minister for security and law enforcement, Hossein Zolfaqari underlined the need for boosting security cooperation between the two countries and said “intelligence sharing should increase between the two sides,” IRNA reported.
He made the call in a meeting with China’s deputy public security minister for counter- terrorism, Liu Yuejin, in Tehran on Monday. Zolfaqari said a security memorandum of understanding (MoU) on security issues has been signed that will help increase the level of cooperation in key areas, namely the anti-narcotics campaign, terrorism and organized crime.
Pointing to “cyber security threats,” he said Chinese and Iranian officials have increased their interaction in this area through training courses.
Liu Yuejin called the meetings a success for both sides, especially in the field of fighting international crime.
He said through such cooperation the two sides are taking strong steps forward in the fight against terror and international crime. The two sides also signed another MoU on fighting illicit drugs.
IS Threat
The Iranian official said the defeat of the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group in Syria and Iraq last year has posed a new security threat for both China and Iran as the group is now trying to relocate its sources to countries like Iran and China.
“In light of this threat, more cooperation would be necessary,” he said.
IS anti-Chinese activities have predominantly focused on online propaganda efforts, without showing any potential to pose a real physical threat to the country. China became the focus of the group in July 2014, when IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi listed China as a battlefield to “wage jihad for the oppression” of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang.
A 2016 report published by New America, a Washington-based think tank, revealed that 114 Uyghurs have joined IS.
