TEHRAN – Iran on Monday hailed developing China-Iran relations and censured a joint statement that the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) issued recently in the presence of a Chinese official, stressing that interference in Iranian internal affairs is rejected.
Speaking to reporters at a weekly press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said that the relationship with the East Asian country is expanding, owing to the political will of the leaders of the two countries.
“Today we are hosting a Chinese delegation with the aim of developing relations between the two countries. We support developing relations and this is a common goal of the two countries,” he stressed.
The Iranian official said that the comprehensive long-term cooperation program between Iran and China is a roadmap for good cooperation between the two countries, which is being implemented.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Saudi Arabia on Friday, where he also sat down with leaders of the GCC countries. They issued a joint statement, which contained several clauses that directly dealt with Iranian affairs, its nuclear program, and its regional activities.
On Saturday, however, the Chinese envoy reaffirmed Beijing’s respect for Iran’s territorial integrity, saying Xi paid the visit to Riyadh at the time of the summit as part of Beijing’s efforts to help further consolidate regional peace and stability, and to promote negotiation as an instrument of resolving the regional problems.
The ambassador said that Beijing’s foreign policy towards the Persian Gulf region is based on “balance,” adding that an upcoming visit to Iran by the Chinese deputy prime minister will prove this approach.
Kanaani also refuted the content of the statement on several issues related to Iran.
He also said the claims mentioned in the statement regarding the trio of Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf amount to “interference in the territorial affairs” of Iran.
The spokesperson reassured that the three Persian Gulf islands of Abu Musa, the Lesser Tunb, and the Greater Tunb are inseparable parts of Iran.
“We consider the claims on these islands as interference in the internal affairs of Iran and strongly condemn such claims,” he said.
The three islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa – located in the Strait of Hormuz have been governed by Iran since 1971 but are claimed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as part of its territory.
Meanwhile, China reaffirmed its
traditional friendly relations with Iran, saying Beijing’s ties with Tehran and its relations with the member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council do not target any third party.
“China and Iran enjoy traditional friendship. The GCC countries and Iran are all China’s friends, and neither China-GCC relations nor China-Iran relations are targeted at any third party,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a regular press conference.
“China supports the GCC countries in improving relations with Iran based on the principle of good neighborly friendship, conducting win-win cooperation with Iran, and jointly promoting the development and stability in the Persian Gulf,” he added.
Wenbin also voiced China’s willingness to continue toplay a constructive role in this regard.
Pointing to a joint decision by Iran and China to cement and grow a comprehensive strategic partnership, Wang reiterated his country’s readiness to increase communication and coordination with Iran to make new progress in relations between the two countries.
He noted that Tehran and Beijing have signed a plan for comprehensive cooperation, which they started implementing earlier this year, saying, “China will work with Iran for the sound and steady growth of practical cooperation.”
He said a visit by Vice Premier Hu Chunhua to Iran, which was scheduled to start later on Monday, will play a positive role in deepening China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership.
Iran and China signed a landmark 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in March 2021 in defiance of the unilateral U.S. sanctions.
The deal officially documents the Sino-Iranian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that was announced during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Tehran in 2016. It sets the outlines of the two countries’ cooperation in political, cultural, security, defense, regional, and international domains for the next 25 years.
Wenbin further pointed to the importance of a recently-held China-GCC Summit for the expansion of relations between the two sides, saying that it led to issuance of a joint statement by China and the GCC and adoption of a 2023-2027 action plan for strategic dialogue between the two sides.