TEHRAN - The three-day state visit by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to China has been hailed by various Chinese media outlets as cementing the already “very strategic” relations between Tehran and China. 

President Raisi left Tehran on Monday evening for Beijing and met Tuesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese CTGN TV channel published an opinion piece on Tuesday to mark the visit. It started with a quote from President Raisi in which he describes Iran-China relations as strategic. “It very much encapsulates the main components of China-Iran relations – lots of history, very strategic and some people don't like it,” the Chinese channel said. 

Xinhua, the Chinese official news agency, lauded the presidents of the two countries for developing relations. Under the leadership of the two presidents, China-Iran relations have maintained sound development momentum in recent years, it said, quoting Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin. 

"China looks forward to working with the Iranian side to use this visit as an opportunity to promote greater development of the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership, and play a constructive role in enhancing the unity and cooperation of countries in the Middle East and promoting regional security and stability," Wang said.

The China Daily described Iran as an ideal country for advancing the Chinese Road and Belt initiative. “Iran is an ideal country in the Middle East for advancing the Belt and Road Initiative, and cooperation with China is key for Iran's economic development,” the newspaper said, quoting Li Shaoxian, director of Ningxia University's China-Arab Research Institute.

The Global Times stated that Raisi’s visit is crucial for both domestic and international relations and that it is anticipated that Iran and China would sign a number of significant agreements to deepen their existing bilateral relations.

“China and Iran, two historic civilizations in Asia, are today significant industrialized superpowers and energy producers, respectively. Both nations have a strong ambition for progress, and their economies are extremely complimentary,” it pointed out.