TEHRAN - The Iranian ambassador to China has announced Tehran's readiness to develop the tourism industry between the two countries and also increase direct flights from different Iranian cities to different regions of China.

In a meeting with Zhang Guozhi, a permanent member of the Party Committee and deputy executive director of Guangdong Province, Mohsen Bakhtiar called for increasing cooperation in various economic, commercial, and cultural fields, ISNA reported on Tuesday.

Their consultations also touched upon ways to facilitate the export of agricultural and aquatic products from Iran to China, especially Guangdong Province.  

Moreover, the Iranian envoy announced his country’s readiness to hold loan or bilateral exhibitions, and cultural weeks, especially in different cities of Guangdong Province, as well as the development of media interactions and the production of joint products, including films and series, were discussed and exchanged.

Zhang, for her part, welcomed the proposals made in the meeting and announced the willingness of Guangdong Province to increase bilateral interactions with Iran.

Guangdong Province, centered on Guangzhou, is one of the most important provinces in China, with a GDP of more than $2,000 billion and has had the highest GDP growth among Chinese provinces over the past three decades. The province's foreign trade volume is more than $1,200 billion, accounting for 20 percent of China's foreign trade, the report said.

Many important Chinese companies, such as BYD Automobile and the giant Huawei, are located in this province. Shenzhen, with its 12,000 knowledge-based companies, is considered the center of China's new technology production.

AM