TEHRAN – Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ehsan Khandouzi has said Iran and China are going to begin execution of some joint projects agreed upon in February by the presidents of the two countries, as of the next month, Mehr News Agency reported.

According to Khandouzi, the necessary follow-ups regarding the mentioned projects have been made over the last five months and the final decisions for the start of their implementations were made during a joint business event on Thursday.

“President Raisi had an important trip to Beijing last winter and good agreements were made with the president of China; in this regard, the necessary follow-ups were made by various ministries during the last five months, and on Thursday the first joint committee between Iran and China was held after 4.5 years,” Khandouzi said.

“China is Iran's largest trading partner and the most important destination for the export of Iranian goods and an important part of our imports are also from China. Last year, China's share in Iran's (non-oil) trade was 24 percent,” the minister added.

Iran and China inked twenty cooperation documents and MOUs during President Raeisi's visit to Beijing in February.

The documents of cooperation and MOUs were in various fields including crisis management, tourism, communication and information technology, environment, international trade, intellectual property, agriculture, export, healthcare, media, sports, and cultural heritage.

An Iran-China Business and Investment Forum was held in Beijing on Thursday, during which officials and businesspeople from both countries reviewed the enhancement of bilateral exchanges. 

Addressing the forum, Khandouzi hailed the huge participation in the event as a sign of interest on both sides to further promote ties.

He also welcomed the reopening of an office of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce in Beijing.

Majid-Reza Hariri, the head of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce, was another person to address the forum who announced the official inauguration of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce’s office in Shanghai.

He said that permanent Iranian exhibitions in China along with Iranian trade centers in main Chinese cities are ready to render services to economic actors of both countries. 

In the meantime, Yu Jianlong, the Vice-Chairman of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT), said that Iran and China have entered a new era of deepening relations which would benefit the interests of both nations and other countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

EF/MA