Iran, China call for stronger ties

Tehran, Oct 29, IRNA - Iran and China have called for further consolidation of parliamentary ties between the two countries. During a meeting in the Iranian capital Tuesday, Head of Iran-China Parliamentary Friendship Group Hossein Sobhaninia and Chinese Ambassador to Tehran Pang Sen underlined the need for utilizing all capacities and capabilities of the two countries' parliaments in a bid to facilitate broadening of Tehran-Beijing relations in other areas. Sobhaninia said the Iranian and Chinese parliaments play a crucial role in facilitating mutual cooperation between the two countries. He underlined that Iran-China Parliamentary Friendship Group can pave the way for the expansion of political and economic cooperation, FNA reported. The Chinese ambassador, for his part, said that the Chinese political and parliamentary officials deem enhancement of all-out ties with Iran as very important. Pang, meantime, called for a rise in consultations between the two countries' officials on regional and international issues. Earlier this month, Iran's new Ambassador to China Ali Asqar Khaji said Tehran and Beijing share the common view that enhancing their ties would result in a much better outlook for both nations, and called on relevant officials and bodies to pave the ground for optimum utilization of the existing opportunities. Khaji said there were good potentials for cooperation between the two countries which enjoy historical background too. He added that presence of Iranians in different fields of science, culture, and economy in China is significant, and vowed to do his best to help the country's tradesmen expand business with their Chinese counterparts. Trade between Iran and China in the past year was estimated at $45bln. Iran is currently China's third largest supplier of crude, providing Beijing with roughly 12 percent of its total annual oil consumption./end