At the request of President Xi Jinping, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will pay an official visit to China this week, Beijing confirmed on Sunday.
The visit, scheduled for Tuesday-Thursday, is Raishi’s first visit to China since 2021 and aims to strengthen ties between the two rivals to the United States.
File: In this file photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September. Taking pictures around. 16/16/2022. (AP, Shen Hong/Xinhua via File)
According to Iran’s state-run news agency IRNA, Raisi will meet with President Xi and their delegation will sign a cooperation document. He has also had meetings with Iranian and Chinese business leaders and Iranian expatriates in China as part of his itinerary, the report added.
The two leaders met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan last September, and President Xi Jinping emphasized China’s support for Iran.
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“Cooperation under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization will give China and Iran more room for cooperation,” said Zhu Yongbiao, executive director of the Belt and Road Research Center. told communications. global times“After this meeting, China-Iran relations will enter a new and higher phase.”
Raisi met with Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua in Tehran in December and promised to deepen the strategic partnership.
Chinese President Xi Jinping looks to Afghanistan to expand China’s growing economic interests. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)
China is a major buyer of Iranian oil and an important source of investment in the Middle Eastern country. In 2021, Iran and China signed a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement covering key economic activities ranging from oil and mining to industry, transportation and agriculture.
The two countries have strained relations with the United States and are working with Russia to counter American power.
Washington has imposed sanctions on executives at an Iranian drone manufacturer, accusing Iran of selling hundreds of attack drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine. At the same time, ties between Moscow and Beijing have strengthened.
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Iran celebrated the 44th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution on Saturday amid nationwide anti-government protests and rising tensions with Western countries.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
