TEHRAN (Iran News) –Minister of Economy Ehsan Khandouzi has emphasized that the existence of certain sanctions cannot seriously affect the determination of Iran and China to expand economic and trade ties.

The Iranian minister made the remarks at the Iran-China Business and Investment Forum in the Chinese capital, noting that it may not be an exaggeration to say the determination of high-ranking officials of the two countries to expand bilateral economic relations has never been so high as the recent decades.

The presence of sanctions cannot seriously impact the determination of the two countries to develop economic and trade exchanges, he argued.

Khandouzi hailed the huge participation in the event as a sign of interest on both sides to further promote ties.

He noted that the Iran-China Joint Cooperation Commission had been held after a 4-and-a-half-year gap.

He mentioned that the agreements made during the visit of the President of Iran to Beijing in March will be implemented through joint plans.

“With the constructive atmosphere of the commission, we will soon witness positive events in business and investment,” added the minister.

He also welcomed the reopening of an office of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce in Beijing.

Majid-Reza Hariri, the head of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, was another person to address the forum who announced the official inauguration of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce’s office in Shanghai.

He said that permanent Iranian exhibitions in China along with Iranian trade centers in main Chinese cities are ready to render services to economic actors of both countries.

In the meantime, Yu Jianlong, the Vice-Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), said that Iran and China have entered a new era of deepening relations which would benefit the interests of both nations and other countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Iran and China officially signed the document for 25-year comprehensive cooperation in March 2021.

The document was signed between Iran’s former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

Back in December 2022, Iran and China finalized 16 memorandums of understanding (MOU) under the framework of the two countries’ strategic 25-year agreement.