BEIJING (IRNA) -- China on Tuesday assessed recent talks between Chinese Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Lu Guozeng and Iranian officials as "useful."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao, who talked to reporters, made the disclosure as he pointed to a visit by Lu to Iran on Feb 24-26 and Lu's talks with Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad, Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Safari and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani.

China and Iran consider their talks and exchange of views as highly important and stress widening of their bilateral cooperation on the nuclear issue as well as in the economic, trade, cultural and technological fields, the spokesman said.

He, moreover, said that during Lu's Tehran visit, the two sides discussed Iran's nuclear case explicitly and that China was keen to having the issue resolved within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and through diplomatic channels.

Liu expressed the hope Iran and all parties to the issue would be willing to compromise and to use restraint in order to find a solution to the nuclear standoff.

He added that Iranian officials have also stressed the importance of resolving the issue based on IAEA rules and regulations.

The spokesman said China supports the ongoing nuclear talks between Iran and Russia and hoped peace, stability and progress would always have an upper hand in Iran.