Speaking to the reporters during a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday, Gong Xiaosheng said his visit to the Islamic Republic addresses two important issues, i.e. JCPOA and Syrian crisis, about which he has held some meetings with Iranian officials.
Expressing that he is visiting Iran for the second time, Chinese envoy praised Iran's development since his first visit to the country two years earlier; "I am proud of being in Iran," he noted.
Pointing to JCPOA, Gong Xiaosheng underlined the need for all parties involved in the Iran nuclear pact to stick to the deal and use dialogue and negotiation to resolve the disputes. He said China was willing to strengthen cooperation with all parties involved in the Iran nuclear pact.
"JCPOA is a multilateral pact and needs to be protected by all the parties involved; this is not only for establishing peace and security in the region, but also for preventing any encroachment on the Non-Proliferation Treaty," he stressed.
Regarding China's position on the nuclear deal, he said China's stance is clear on JCPOA; we will continue it, and I hope that Trump will consider the international community's reaction while making any decision.
"China will abide by its commitment to the Iran nuclear deal since the IAEA had verified Iran’s compliance with the accord several times," he added.
China-Iran relations are not merely based on what JCPOA dictates; there are many bilateral agreements signed between the two countries, and China respects its commitments; China is very concerned about its traditional friendship with Iran and will respect that in the future, too.
Syrian crisis was the second issue chinese envoy addressed during his talk with Iranian officials; Gong Xiaosheng said tensions in Syria are likely to escalate and China is further focussing on the issue and hopes the war-stricken country may reach permanent ceasefire in the near future.
China's position on Syria is clear, he noted, "we believe that the crisis in Syria needs only a political, but not military, solution."
China has kept contacts with various parties, i.e. Syrian government and opposition, to advance peace process and will play a constructive role in the reconstruction of the country in the future, he added.
Chinese envoy also said about the design of a belt road: Some people think the plan is just about China, while the Silk Road had existed thousands of years ago, and even named it a German scientist.
Xiaoshong added that the design of a China-owned beltway, all the countries that are on the path to this plan, and other countries in the world, which in the past went to the Chinese traders to West Asia and Europe, and European, Iranian and Arab merchants also on this route. They traveled to China.
Chinese envoy also pointed to the One Belt, One Road initiative, saying some people think the plan is just about China, while the Silk Road has existed for thousands of years, and even the term Silk Road (Seidenstrassen, in German) was first coined by German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877.
Gong Xiaosheng added that the initiative belongs to all the countries alongside the Silk Road rotes, passing through many different empires, kingdoms, reigns and societies throughout history.
Regarding Iran-China ties after US withdrawal from JCPOA, he described that the position is threefold; first, we are trying to maintain this agreement. Second, the differences will be resolved through dialogue, and third, China-Iran economic and financial relations will continue, and the Chinese government will fulfill its obligations entirely.
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