The Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber met with the Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang on the sidelines of the 22nd meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCo) member states in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Thursday. 

Referring to the 25-year strategic cooperation agreement between Iran and China, the first vice president said, “There are many areas of cooperation between Tehran and Beijing, and if we focus on these areas and lay the ground for the private sector of the two countries, we will reach a favorable point in achieving the goals in realizing the goals of the 25-year agreement.”

Referring to the volume of trade between Iran and China, which is about $30 billion annually, Mokhber added, “With measures such as using barter mechanism and the local currencies of the two countries, the process of developing trade relations will be facilitated and this figure will increase significantly. Therefore, it is necessary to increase trade volume with the local currencies of the two countries.”

“Beijing is ready to develop its strategic relations with Tehran and deepen the cooperation between the two countries in various fields,” the Chinese premier, for his part, said.

“As always, China insists on preserving the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and progress of the Iranian nation and opposes any foreign interference and illegal sanctions against it,” Li Qiang added.

Emphasizing that China supports peace and justice and the Palestinian people to achieve their rights, he stated that “slamic countries should work together to de-escalate tensions and Beijing attaches great importance to Iran’s important role in the region and is interested in having more coordination with Tehran.”

He emphasized the necessity of efforts to increase the trade relations between the two countries.

“Beijing is ready to encourage its people to travel to Iran for tourism and promote its cooperation with Iran in the field of education, tourism and increasing scholarships for Iranian students,” Li Qiang concluded.

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