Minister Hopes for Expansion of Iran-China Oil Cooperation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, who is in China for an official visit, expressed the hope for increased oil cooperation between Tehran and Beijing once anti-Iran sanctions are lifted.
Iran expects the Chinese side to finish the development of the second phase of Yadavaran (joint) oilfield (in southwestern Iran, shared with Iraq) in a logical speed with better equipment, Zanganeh said in a Thursday meeting with Fu Chengyu, chairman of China’s Petroleum and Chemical Corp, Sinopec, in Beijing.
During the meeting, the two sides also agreed on the completion of the first development phase of Yadavaran oilfield in the next four months.
“This country (China), as one of the biggest buyers of Iran's oil, has been greatly cooperating with the Islamic Republic under conditions of sanctions and we are willing for that cooperation to continue when sanctions are removed,” he told reporters in Beijing later on Thursday.
The new phase of energy cooperation between Iran and China will focus on oil production and development projects to be conducted by Chinese companies in Iran, he added.
Zanganeh went on to say that China’s Sinopec and CNPC (China National Petroleum Corporation) are currently working in Iran's Khuzestan province, expressing the hope that the two countries would redefine their cooperation in the new phase to lay new grounds for further collaboration in energy sector, Press TV reported.
Heading a high-ranking oil delegation, Zanganeh arrived in China’s capital city of Beijing on Thursday to confer with Chinese officials on cooperation between the two countries in the fields of energy and joint investment.
