Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Iran will significantly boost ties between the two “born partners,” an Iranian scholar told the People’s Daily, adding that the two nations need each other in their development.

Xi kicked off his three-nation Mideast trip on January 19, and Iran will be his third stop.
Describing the two nations as “born partners,” Sayed Mohammad Marandi, dean of Faculty of World Studies from the University of Tehran, said that China’s attention on the Middle Eastern affairs has grown in recent years.

He explained that conflicts among nations and threats from extremist forces now intertwine in the region, situated at the junction of Europe, Asia and Africa, composing a complicated arena.

In this context, Iran, as one of the most influential nations in the region, is willing to boost its political and economic ties with China.

Recalling their decades-long friendship, the scholar said that thanks to its rich resources, large population and harmonious relationship with neighbors, Iran means a huge market for China.

He added that with abundant oil and gas resources, Iran has the ability to upturn the global economic landscape once it returns to the energy market.

If Iran transports its oil and gas through Central Asia rather than the Persian Gulf, their collaboration will also benefit other economies along the route, he stressed, explaining that a spillover of cooperation in politics, economy and culture can be generated from this.

Marandi called on Iran to deepen economic and trade ties with China, saying that the world’s second largest economy will be its best partner.

Hailing the China-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the scholar noted that it greatly complements current international financial order by bringing dividends to all Asian people.

He hoped the bank would offer support in Sino-Iranian cooperation projects such as resource development and infrastructure construction.

Bilateral economic and trade cooperation should still be further boosted, according to Marandi.
He also urged more people-to-people contacts and closer exchanges in media and academia.
(Source: People’s Daily)