XINJIANG- The market of Xinjiang province, in the northwest of China, is very proper for Iran, because there are many cultural similarities between Iran and this region, the secretary of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce told the Tehran Times in an exclusive interview.

Maryam Sadat Samiani-Fard made the statement in the pavilion of Iranian products in the 8th China-Eurasia Expo, which was held in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, during June 26-30.

“We have been present at the exhibition since its first edition, and Iranian companies have presented their export products. This year, which is the 8th edition of the exhibition, we have participated as usual”, she stated.

“This exhibition was previously more local and its name was Urumqi Fair. We also were present at that time”, she added.

“As you know, China is Iran's first trade partner and we have a very good relationship with the Chinese. And Xinjian province is considered a more suitable market for us because of the cultural similarities we have with each other”, the secretary of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce further noted.

“It [Xinjian’s market] is a very, very good market and we are working together well, but we have not yet reached the maximum cooperation that we should have together and there is a possibility of working together more and we hope that it can be more and we can do more activities”, Samiani-Fard commented.

She went on to say that “It is clear that, apart from the Chinese market, this exhibition can have the market of other countries, including the Eurasian region, for us, but our main customer is China.”

She named carpet, saffron, chocolates and sweets, and jams, as well as fisheries as some Iranian products proper to offer in the Xinjiang’s market.

She further said, “This year we had also a booth of Iranian stones in the exhibition, that is a good product to offer here”.

Iranian Ambassador to China Mohsen Bakhtiyar visited the pavilion of Iran in the first day of the 8th China-Eurasia Expo, according to Samiani-Fard.

Themed “New Opportunities of Silk Road, New Vitality for Eurasian Cooperation”, 8th China-Eurasia Expo, which was held at the Xinjiang International Convention and Exhibition Center, has drawn over 1,900 participants from 50 countries, regions and international organizations, showcasing over 6,000 varieties of products.

Covering an area of 140,000 square meters, this year's expo encompasses four major exhibition zones including investment cooperation, international exhibitions, special industries and equipment manufacturing, Xinhua reported. 

Since 2011, seven editions of the China-Eurasia Expo have been successfully held, yielding fruitful results.

Photo: Iran’s pavilion in 8th China-Eurasia Expo in Urumqi City, Xinjiang Province, China (By Mahnaz Abdi)