Iranian President Visits China to Strengthen Bilateral Ties, Promote Regional Stability

The visit will mark Raisi's first trip to China since taking office in 2021.

During the state visit, Raisi will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang, and Li Zhanshu, chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. They will discuss the future development of bilateral relations and exchange views on regional and international issues of common concern.

China's trade with Iran reached $12.32 billion in the first nine months of last year, up 18 percent year-on-year, China’s Daily reported, citing the Chinese General Administration of Customs.

The two countries are seeking to further "play constructive roles in boosting unity and collaboration among Middle East countries and facilitating the region's security and stability".

Raisi said in an article published in Monday's edition of Chinese newsaper People's Daily that "Iran will, as always, uphold policies to strengthen Iran-China bilateral ties, and this will not be affected by any changes in the regional and international situation".

"China's economic growth and its outbound investment benefit the people of China and other countries, and we welcome initiatives proposed by China for promoting world peace, security and development," he added.

Raisi also envisioned greater bilateral cooperation under the plan for China-Iran comprehensive cooperation, a blueprint that the two countries signed in 2021.

Li Shaoxian, director of Ningxia University's China-Arab Research Institute, said that "China and Iran have a long history of friendly relations and are natural partners" who support each other's core interests.

Iran is an ideal country in the Middle East for advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, and "cooperation with China is key for Iran's economic development", he added.

Observers noted that advancing negotiations on resuming compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal, is also high on the agenda for the Iranian president's visit.

Ma Xiaolin, a veteran researcher on Middle East and Mediterranean studies at Zhejiang University, said that current prospects for the Iran nuclear deal have been dampened by sanctions and verbal attacks by the United States.

China's consistent position on this issue is to stay focused on negotiations. The meeting between Xi and Raisi may bring hope for the resumption of negotiations on the deal.