China, Iran hail 'historic decision' on relations

China and Iran reiterated that building a close strategic partnership is a historic decision that serves the interests of the whole region, as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi wrapped up a three-day state visit to China on Thursday.

According to a joint statement issued by the two countries, President Xi Jinping accepted an invitation from Raisi to visit Iran and would do so at Xi's convenience.

The statement listed bilateral agreements reached in the fields of politics, security and defense, economic and development cooperation, and education and cultural cooperation, as well as international and regional issues.

The two countries stressed the significance of the Persian Gulf region's peace and stability for world safety as well as energy transportation.

China said it appreciates Iran's important role in safeguarding international energy security and holds in high regard Raisi's good-neighbor policy.

China and Iran will jointly work to implement the plan for China-Iran comprehensive cooperation and continue to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, agriculture, industry, renewable energy and infrastructure, the statement said.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade between China and Iran was $15.8 billion last year, registering a year-on-year increase of 7 percent. China has been Iran's largest trading partner for 10 consecutive years.

The statement said that the two countries will this year invite 50 representatives from political parties, think tanks and media outlets to visit each other's country, and exchange experience on governance.

They also agreed to facilitate Iranian students' study in China and provide scholarship to them. A total of 100 scholarships will be provided to Chinese-language teachers in Iran by China over the next five years.

Raisi described his visit to China as fruitful and successful, expressing hope that the growth of cooperation between the two countries in various fields will be evident to everyone.

Good decisions were made in the fields mentioned during the visit, Raisi was cited by the Islamic Republic News Agency as saying. Raisi also said that Iranian ministers had good follow-up discussions in the fields of energy, industry and trade, and road and urban development with their Chinese counterparts.

Lu Jin, an Iran expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that Raisi's visit, the first official visit by an Iranian president to China in over 20 years, has immense significance for China-Iran relations and had lifted political mutual trust to a higher level.

"Given that Iran faces severe challenges in terms of the treatment of environmental pollution, water and soil conservation and clean energy, which concern people's daily lives, there is huge potential for bilateral cooperation in these aspects," she said.

Lu also said the two sides' agreement to strengthen Chinese- and Persian-language education will help boost mutual understanding and advance bilateral ties in the long term.