Beijing to Continue Trade with Tehran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - China's Commerce Ministry declared on Thursday that Beijing is consistently opposed to the United States’ unilateral sanctions against Iran and intends to continue its trade cooperation with the country under its international commitments.
The Chinese ministry spokesperson Gao Feng, during a briefing commented on Iran's complaint against the United States to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying, “Iran continues to be China's important trade partner in Asia. The two countries maintain regular trade relations. In 2017, bilateral trade grew by 19 percent in comparison to 2016 and amounted to $37.1 billion.”
Chinese spokesman added that China opposes any unilateral sanctions and intends to maintain trade relations with Iran without violation of its international commitments.=
In a message in his Twitter account on July 16, Iran's Foregin Minister Zarif said Tehran has filed a complaint at the ICJ “to hold US accountable for its unlawful re-imposition of unilateral sanctions.”
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), which is based in The Hague and is also known as the World Court, is the United Nations tribunal for resolving international disputes. Iran's filing asks the ICJ to order the United States to provisionally lift its sanctions ahead of more detailed arguments.
On May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers that was reached in 2015 after two years of talks. Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.