China’s NPC chief says Beijing seeks deeper relations with Tehran

The president of China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) says his country is keen on expanding bilateral relations with Iran.

Zhao Leji said in a message addressed to Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf that China and Iran have enjoyed continuous and developing relations over the past decades, according to a readout of the message published by Iranian state media on Monday.

The message came in response to Qalibaf’s letter to Zhao, in which the Iranian Parliament speaker congratulated his Chinese counterpart on the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Qalibaf also leads the Strategic Headquarters for Iran-China Relations and has served as Iran’s top negotiator in talks with the US to permanently end a US-Israeli aggression against Iran that began in late February and ended in a ceasefire in mid-April.

China has voiced strong criticism of the aggression while continuously supporting Iran’s right to defend itself.

Beijing has also refused to accept US pressure to cut or reduce its massive economic exchanges with Iran, and has roundly rejected a new wave of US sanctions on Iran aimed at forcing the country into political and military concessions.

In his message to Qalibaf, Zhao expressed hope that Iran and China would use the anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic ties as an opportunity to make progress in bilateral relations.

He also said that the NPC is ready to continuously expand its cooperation with the Iranian Parliament and make it a platform for expanding relations between Iran and China.

The senior Chinese politician also expressed the wish that the friendship between the people of Iran and China would become an eternal bond.