Iran Press/ Iran News: The pivot of the meeting was the solution to expedite the implementation of the 25-year comprehensive cooperation program between Iran and China.
Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and the Chinese Deputy Prime Minister co-chaired the meeting.
Iran and China have expanded their ties in three macro-levels during the past years, namely political-economic, security-defense, and geopolitical-strategic, with the signing of the 25-year strategic document being an important step towards completing this process.
The document was signed in March 2021, one that should be considered the peak of the active ties between the two countries.
China and the Islamic Republic of Iran have common long-term strategic interests against US unilateralism and the Chines economic delegation's trip to Tehran on Tuesday is indicative of the fact that the chinses side is interested in the implementation of the 25-year strategic cooperation document.
Still, what adds to the importance of the trip is that it was carried out three days after the joint statement by China and the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) was issued part of which claimed the UAE claim over the Iranian Triple Islands.
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In a tweet on Saturday, Iran's Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian wrote: "The triple islands Bumusa, Great and Lesser Tunbs in the Persian Gulfs are inseparable parts of the Iranian soil and eternally belongs to Iran. Iran never compromise with anybody over its territorial integrity."
China's recent alignment with the members of the PGCC, including Saudi Arabia, caused some experts to talk about a change in China's policies in the region, but Beijing rejected such a change, and Wang Wenbin, the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman said that PGCC and Iran were all friends of China and that neither China-PGCC relations nor China-Iran relations were against any third party.
He also called Iran and China long-time friends and said that the two countries were decisive to consolidate and improve their comprehensive strategic partnership.
China is ready to increase coordination with Iran to make further progress in bilateral relations. It is clear that economic motives derive China's attention to the southern littoral states of the Persian Gulf.
China is investing in a region that was traditionally considered the sphere of the US' influence. Therefore, China has engaged in economic cooperation with the member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, recently signing 40 trade agreements with Saudi Arabia and a gas agreement with Qatar, for example.
Saudi Arabia is also trying to boost its position in the region in terms of bilateral relations with China and within the framework of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council relations with this country.
In a time when the US' new strategy in the region has led to the dissatisfaction of its old allies including Saudi Arabia, the Arab country is approaching China to expand ties with the second economic power of the world to fill the gap with the US, on the one hand, and because of China's need to import energy, on the other.
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