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 China and Iran have close diplomatic, economic, trade and energy
ties, and China has been active in pushing both the United states
and Iran to reach agreement on Iran's nuclear program.
Under the multilateral deal, agreed in July, sanctions imposed by
the United States, European Union and United Nations will be lifted
in return for Iran agreeing to long-term curbs on a nuclear program
that the West has suspected was aimed at creating a nuclear bomb.
"China and Iran find mutual benefits in many areas," Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi,
at the beginning of a meeting in Beijing.
China is the biggest customer of Iranian oil and Zarif said their
economies were "complementary". The two countries faced "similar
challenges as well as opportunities", he said.
"I agreed with Minister Wang Yi that we share similar views on
regional issues, which should be solved in a political way. We would
like to cooperate with China on issues in Yemen, Syria and the
Middle East, seeking a political solution," he said.
China has traditionally been a low-key diplomatic player in the
region, despite its reliance on its oil, calling for negotiated
settlements and decrying threats or the use of force.
"We both agree that the unrest in West Asia and North Africa regions
is not sustainable, it should be solved in a political way and we
should seek a solution that can address the concerns of different
parties," Wang said.
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Zarif thanked China for its role in the nuclear talks.
"After the agreement is implemented, illegal sanctions imposed upon
Iran by Western countries will be lifted, a lot of Chinese companies
will have more chances to cooperate with Iran," he said.
China had long objected to unilateral sanctions imposed on Iran by
the United States and Europe, though it has supported U.N. ones, and
had denounced threats of force.
Wang said China would fulfill its promises and play an active and
constructive role in implementing the nuclear agreement.
In July, Chinese President Xi Jinping told U.S. President Barack
Obama that China would work with the United States and others to
ensure the implementation of the agreement. Xi visits the United
States later this month.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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