TEHRAN - A delegation consisting of journalists from the Tehran Times and Mehr News Agency visited the China Railway newspaper affiliated to the Ministry of Railways.

Ming Wang, editor-in-chief of the China Railway, said that the newspaper has a daily circulation of 350,000 nationwide.

Founded in May 1900, the China Railway publishes a bulletin, and runs a television network and some other media, he added.

The main focus of the newspaper is on news related to China's railways. It also allocates special attention to high-speed train news, he explained.

Referring to the revival of the ancient Silk Road by China, he highlighted that reviving the Silk Road as a part of the "One Road One Belt" project was first unveiled by the Chinese President Xi Jinping, bringing together two initiatives including an economic belt and a maritime silk road.

Unveiled in late 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) or the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road is a development strategy proposed by the Chinese government which focuses on connectivity and cooperation between Eurasian countries, primarily the People's Republic of China (PRC), the land-based Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) and the ocean-going Maritime Silk Road (MSR).

Enhancing railways also plays a key role in the aforesaid project, he said, adding that currently, beside inside the country, projects are being carried out abroad. 
He went on to say that in fact, China's high-speed train constitutes the top advantage in China, which enjoys the world’s leading position in rail length and passenger traffic. 

Mehr News Agency’s news room deputy director Seyyed Hassan Dehqani, for his part, explained that the Tehran Times is the oldest English language newspaper in Iran which came into existence early after the victory of the Islamic Revolution [in 1979].

He said Mehr News Agency has also been working for 15 years and it publishes news in five languages, namely Persian, Turkish, Arabic, English and Urdu.

Mehr News Agency has four major departments including domestic news department, foreign news department, provincial news department, and new media department, Dehqani explained.

Also, the news agency has provincial departments across the country, he said, adding that the new media department also includes Mehr radio, infographic, multimedia, and social media like twitter, Facebook and local messaging apps.

It is among the top news agencies nationwide and it covers news both in national and international levels, he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Dehqani regretted that western media try to create a false and distorted image of Iran, but when a western citizen travels to Iran, lights cast on the misconception of the image created by the media.

“A pessimistic view has been created in the Iranian society towards Europe due to their colonial history in Asia, while historical memories about China are mainly optimistic,” he said, adding, “for example, Iran think good about the Silk Road, and when it comes to reviving it, people feel positive.

He also noted that reviving the Silk Road can benefit the economy, tourism and security of the region.

He expressed hope that cooperation between the two countries will be improved and said that as a part of the Silk Road, Iran can play an important role in rail transportation and help revive the ancient road, which will be of great help to boost friendship between the two nations.

For his part, Mohammad Qaderi, the Tehran Times editor-in-chief, said Iranians, including those inside and outside the country, and foreigners are the main readers of the newspaper. 

The Tehran Times is the oldest English language newspaper in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which also considered as a reliable news source for foreigners.

In addition to print version, the news and opinion pieces are published online, he said.

He went on to say that the PDF version of the newspaper is posted on the website daily free of charge, so that foreigners who do not have access to the printed version, can use it.

“One of the positive features of the Tehran Times is the analysis of international issues and specialized fields," Qaderi highlighted.

Interviewing with prominent international figures is also among notable features of the newspaper, he added.

“Speaking the truth and observing professional ethics are of the main approaches in the Tehran Times”. 

It should be noted that the Tehran Times, Mehr News Agency and the China Railway are to sign a memorandum of understating to facilitate future cooperation.

FB/MG