China urges private sector investment in Iran

Tehran, May 7, IRNA - A senior Chinese official stressed the need for creating an appropriate atmosphere to invest in Iran to boost economic ties. Marshall Zhang, head of the Federation of Investment Promotion Agencies of China, met with Iranian officials at a seminar held in Beijing to introduce Iran’s investment opportunities to foreign investors. “Due to false publicity, a number of countries are afraid of investing in Iran,” he said, adding that such conferences help investors become familiar with Iran’s economic situation. “Iran has natural resources that offer a good opportunity for foreign investors,” Zhang noted, adding that Chinese investors must familiarize themselves with Iran’s economic opportunities, rules and regulations before they enter the countryˈs market and invest. Iran’s Ambassador to China Mehdi Safari said that the current administration has opened a new horizon in its ties with other countries, noting that President Hassan Rouhani and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have stressed on boosting economic ties. China-Iran ties have witnessed a steady growth and their trade transactions have reached $40b in 2013. “Based on statistics, Iran was the eighth destination for Chinese investments in 2013, which reached about $4b,” Safari said. Financial and technical efficiency of Chinese companies to carry out oil, mining, gas, petrochemical and agricultural projects on the one hand and Iran’s investment opportunities on the other are incentives to boost economic transactions. end