Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held a press conference with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Saturday in Tehran and briefed the attending media on the topics discussed during the two premiers’ bilateral meeting earlier that day.
President Rouhani highlighted the importance of strengthening ties with China, saying “this visit happened in a historic point in time following the implementation of the nuclear agreement and the subsequent lift of anti-Iranian sanctions. I hope that we can sign the final memorandum of cooperation between the two countries today.”
The President maintained that the two sides had conferred on expanding cooperation on finance and banking credits required for capital investment, long-term contracts in the field of energy, as well as investment in railways, mining, industry, tourism and technology parks.
Noting that the Saturday meeting with the Chinese President marked the fifth round of talks with China following the extensive talks in Bishkek, Shanghai, Jakarta and New York in the past two and a half years, President Rouhani added that all significant regional and international issues had been covered in today’s public and private meetings with President Jinping.
In addition to economic fields, the two sides also held talks on scientific, cultural, security and defense cooperation.
“Fighting terrorism and extremism and finding ways to settle conflicts gripping the region were the other topics discussed in the meeting,” said Rouhani.
“I deem the visit of China’s President and his high-ranking delegation to Tehran an important historical event and I am certain that from now on, a new chapter has commenced in Iran-China relations,” President Rouhani stressed.
The Chinese President, for his part, maintained that after 45 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries, the level of bilateral ties has achieved a remarkable progress and the mutual political trust has been deepened.
“China has retained for many consecutive years its position as Iran’s biggest importer of crude oil and its biggest trade partner,” he said.
Mr. Jinping deemed Iran China’s most important partner in the Middle East, saying the expansion of bilateral ties would lead to the improvement of both countries’ interests.
“I have total confidence in the positive outlook in Iran-China relations and believe the expansion of bilateral ties will not only benefit the interest of both countries but also prove effective for the global and regional peace and development,” he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping heading a high-ranking delegation arrived in Tehran on Jan. 22 to ink a number of MoUs.
This is the first visit of the highest ranking official from the most major Asian power and one of the five world powers to Tehran after 14 years.
According to official statistics, Iran-China trade ties stood at $51.851 million in 2014, which showed a %31.5 increase compared to the previous years. China’s imports to Iran amounted to $27.506 million and the country’s exports reached $24.345 million.
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