Tehran, IRNA – Iran and China marked the 50th anniversary of establishing diplomatic ties on August 16, which is a credit for reinforcing bilateral relations in various fields.

President Xi Jinping said in his message to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi that he is ready to strengthen cooperation between the two states in various fields with the cooperation of President Raisi.

He pointed out that since the establishment of diplomatic ties half a century ago, the relations between China and Iran have developed steadily and the traditional friendship between the two countries has grown stronger with time.

Since the establishment of the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership, the mutual political trust between the two sides has seen further consolidation and mutually beneficial cooperation in various fields has witnessed steady progress, he added.

He also noted that following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, China and Iran have closely stood by each other through thick and thin and wrote a fine story of anti-pandemic cooperation.

Meanwhile, President Raisi described Iran and China as ancient civilizations, saying Iran’s commitment for establishing high-level relations with China is still underway.

He noted that Iran will continue its efforts for promoting the level of strategic cooperation.

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, a new chapter opened in Iran-China relations. The mutual visits made by Iranian and Chinese high-ranking officials indicate strengthening bilateral relations between Tehran and Beijing.

During the visit made by President Xi Jinping to Iran in 2016, the two countries announced that they have established relations based on comprehensive strategic participation through an agreement in bilateral, regional, and international fields.

The joint statement on comprehensive strategic partnership between Iran and China in the form of 20 articles outlines the road map for developing Tehran-Beijing joint cooperation in the politics, executive cooperation, humanitarian and cultural fields, as well as judicial, security-defense, regional, and international ones.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi signed the comprehensive cooperation document on March 27 here in Tehran, which will open a new chapter in political and economic fields.

Also, the Belt and Road Initiative is a Chinese investment plan in economic infrastructure of over 77 countries in the world which has been introduced by China in 2013. With $900 billion investment in the world's economic infrastructure, it is the largest investment project ever proposed by a country.

Iran has actively participated in Initiative for a long time; therefor, it has now become one of the most important corridors for the implementation of the project. Iran connects East and West and is a way to Europe and is a very important and powerful country in terms of culture, economy, strategy science, technology, transportation, energy, and investment.

China is one of the largest importers of Iran’s oil, minerals, and chemicals, which considers it as an advantage for cooperation between the two countries.

China has always supported Iran nuclear deal and has urged the US to lift sanctions against Iran and Iran has offered its support for China with regard to issues like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Xinjiang.

Despite all challenges caused by COVID-19 for Iran and China, the pandemic strengthened relations between Tehran and Beijing. Iran sent anti-COVID-19 equipment to China. And China rendered health and medical aid and COVID-19 vaccine consignments to Iran.

Chinese officials and media showed positive reaction to new Iranian government.

President Xi Jinping was among the first leaders in the world to congratulate President Raisi’s victory in the elections. Noting that Iran and China are strategic partners, Xi said that he attaches special significance to the expansion of relations between the two countries.

The Chinese president said he was willing to work with Raisi to strengthen strategic relations, develop mutual political trust, and deepen mutually beneficial cooperation.

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