TEHRAN – A senior Iranian lawmaker has underlined the need for implementing a 25-year partnership plan with China as a way to counter the project of isolating Iran. 

The lawmaker, Alireza Salimi, who is a member of the Iranian Parliament’s presiding board, said some countries are trying to isolate Iran but implementing the 25-year partnership plan between Iran and China will foil that project. 

“Some countries are trying to isolate the Islamic Republic and not allow countries to develop their relations with Iran, so the implementation of the 25-year cooperation document between Iran and China will help neutralize the aforementioned anti-Iranian policy,” Salimi told the Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency (ICANA).

He added, “Today, due to the imposition of sanctions by the Westerners, especially the Americans, we see restrictions on economic relations, but the implementation of this joint cooperation document can neutralize the restrictions.”

Salimi continued, “In fact, the Chinese are achieving the superior economic power in the world, and this is against the policies of the United States, so their long-term cooperation with Iran can be effective.”

Underlining that the 25-year cooperation document between the two countries is also politically important, Salimi said the implementation of this document will foils the West’s project to isolate Iran. 

He stated, “Undoubtedly, speeding up the implementation of the 25-year cooperation document between Iran and China is of particular importance, and obstacles must be removed in this direction.”

Ala’eddin Boroujerdi, chief of the Iran-China Friendship Association, has recently underlined that the future trip by President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran to China will help speed up the implementation of the 25-year Iran-China cooperation plan.

So far, no date has been given about Raisi’s visit to China.

Boroujerdi said that the association under his leadership is not satisfied with the current pace of the cooperation plan, urging the two countries’ officials to accelerate the process, according to an IRNA report. 

The 25-year plan for comprehensive partnership between Iran and China was finalized in March 2021.

“The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran expect that China, as a friendly country with considerable capabilities, to take important steps to enhance ties,” Boroujerdi said, according to the website linked to the friendship assassination.

He urged China to invest in the development projects in Iran to improve the tourism industry in the Islamic nation.

China is the second largest economy in the world.

The implementation of the 25-year cooperation plan can pave the way for carrying out joint ventures in different arenas such as transit, manufacturing, energy, economy, trade, etc. the veteran politician remarked.