China, Iran sign landmark 25-year cooperation accord

DUBAI • Foreign ministers from China and Iran, which are both subject to United States sanctions, signed a landmark 25-year cooperation pact yesterday.

"Relations between the two countries have now reached the level of strategic partnership and China seeks to comprehensively improve relations with Iran," China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi was quoted by Iran's state media as telling his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"Our relations with Iran will not be affected by the current situation, but will be permanent and strategic," Mr Wang said before the signing ceremony.

"Iran decides independently on its relations with other countries and is not like some countries that change their position with one phone call," he said.

Mr Wang met President Hassan Rouhani before the signing of the agreement in Teheran, which is expected to include Chinese investments in key sectors such as energy and infrastructure.

Mr Rouhani voiced appreciation for Beijing's support of Teheran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and called for more coronavirus vaccine exports to Iran, the worst-hit country by the pandemic in the Middle East.

"Cooperation between the two countries is very important for the implementation of the nuclear accord and the fulfilment of obligations by European countries," Mr Rouhani said.

"Regarding the coronavirus vaccine, it is necessary to increase cooperation between the two countries, and we want more vaccines from China to be provided."

US President Joe Biden has sought to revive talks with Iran on the nuclear deal abandoned by his predecessor Donald Trump in 2018, although economic measures remain in place. But Teheran wants the sanctions removed before it will resume negotiations.

"Under the new administration, the Americans want to reconsider their policy and return to the nuclear accord, and China welcomes their move," Mr Wang said. "We will provide more coronavirus vaccines to Iran and Iran is our priority for the vaccines."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the agreement was a "road map" for trade, economic and transportation cooperation.

China, Iran's largest trading partner, agreed in 2016 to boost bilateral trade by more than 10 times to US$600 billion (S$807.6 billion) over a decade.

Beijing said it will try to safeguard the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and defend the legitimate interests of Sino-Iranian relations.

REUTERS