TEHRAN – The Iranian cabinet of ministers voted on Wednesday to allow China the permission to open a consulate general in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, Tasnim reported.

The cabinet approved the move upon by a proposal from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bandar Abbas is the capital of Iran’s coastal province of Hormozgan.

The permission has been conditional on reciprocal measures and conformity to the relevant rules and regulations.

China became Iran’s top trading partner in the previous Iranian year which ended on March 20.

The value of non-oil trade exchanges with China in Iranian year 1399 (March 2020-March 2021) stood at $18,715 million.

In March 2021, the foreign ministers of Iran and China signed a 25-year agreement to develop cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

The comprehensive strategic partnership was announced in a joint statement during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Tehran in 2016.