TEHRAN (Iran News) – The economies of Iran and China complement each other, head of Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce said, adding that it was totally natural for the two countries to formulate a roadmap for long-term cooperation.
In remarks at a meeting about the 25-year roadmap of cooperation between Iran and China, Majidreza Hariri said the economies of the two countries are complementary, Tasnim News Agency wrote.
“Iran’s economy is based on the sale of raw materials to the world. China is also a purchaser of such materials, and this makes the two countries number one trade partners for each other.”
Hariri said while Iran’s political, security and cultural relations with Russia are better than those with China, the Iranian and Russian economies are similar in nature, that’s why the two economies are rivals and the value of bilateral trade between Tehran and Moscow has never exceeded $2.2 billion.
“China has the first place (in the world) in the development of infrastructures, and Iran is also in need of them,” the head of Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce said, stressing that it is quite natural for the two countries to devise a long-term plan for mutual cooperation.
“It is also natural that sixty to seventy percent of that roadmap would relate to the raw materials and the rest would accordingly deal with the development of infrastructures.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif paid a visit to China in August 2019 to explore avenues for the expansion of strategic relations between the two nations in talks with senior Chinese officials.
In June, the Iranian Cabinet reviewed and approved the final draft of the 25-year roadmap for Iran-China strategic relations.
The Foreign Ministry has been tasked with conducting the final rounds of negotiations with the Chinese side and make arrangements for the signing of the document by the two countries based on long-term mutual interests.
President Hassan Rouhani said at the meeting that the primary purpose of this plan is to promote bilateral strategic cooperation at regional and international levels using a win-win approach.
- source : Iran Daily, Irannews
