TEHRAN – Iran and China have remained adamant about maintaining and strengthening their long-standing ties, holding a flurry of high-level meetings, and defying U.S. efforts to drive a wedge between them.
Ali Akbar Velayati, International Affairs Adviser to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, recently said that cooperation between Iran and China is on the right path and could serve as a model for constructive engagement between independent states.
A four-member delegation of senior directors of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences met with Velayati on Tuesday to discuss regional and international developments, bilateral cooperation, and ways to deepen Iran-China relations.
Noting the high level of relations between the two countries, Velayati said, “Iran-China relations are at their best. They are deep-rooted, sustainable and strategic. Iran-China cooperation is on the right track and can be an effective model of constructive interaction between independent states.”
He also cited countering the unilateral and expansionist policies of the United States as a shared priority and stressed the importance of strengthening trilateral cooperation between Iran, China, and Russia.
During the meeting, Tan, deputy director of the Middle East and Africa Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, expressed his pleasure in meeting Velayati and stressed the importance of developing and deepening bilateral relations. He added: “Many of the region’s problems stem from America’s destructive and interventionist policies. Closer cooperation between independent countries can provide a means to counter these approaches.”
Mr. Tang also invited Mr. Velayati, on behalf of the president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, to visit China early next year.
At the end of the two-hour meeting, both sides emphasized the continued consultation and cooperation between Iranian and Chinese research centers in the fields of science, research, electronics and artificial intelligence, and recognized that expanding such exchanges is an important step in deepening the strategic relations between the two countries.
The talks took place against the backdrop of the landmark 25-year strategic partnership agreement signed in March 2021 between Iran and China, aimed at strengthening the long-standing economic and political alliance. The agreement, originally announced during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tehran in 2016, sets the framework for bilateral cooperation across political, cultural, security, defense, regional and international fields for the next quarter century.
On Monday, Chinese Ambassador to Iran Kong Peiwu, who is visiting Iran’s Gilan province, said that US pressure will not affect Sino-Iranian cooperation and vowed that bilateral relations will continue unhindered by US sanctions.
China is Iran’s largest economic partner, accounting for about 30% of Iran’s foreign trade, far more than any other country. China is also the most important source of Iran’s technological and industrial needs, the largest purchaser of Iranian oil, and the only major country to maintain an open economic policy toward Iran amid mounting sanctions pressure.