TEHRAN – Ala’eddin Boroujerdi, chief of the Iran-China Friendship Association, has underlined that the future trip by President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran to China will help speed up the implementation of the 25-year Iran-China Cooperation Plan, IRNA reported on Saturday.

So far, no date has been given about Raisi’s visit to China.

Boroujerdi said that the association under his leadership is not satisfied with the current pace of the cooperation plan, urging the two countries’ officials to accelerate the process.

The 25-year plan for comprehensive partnership between Iran and China was finalized in March 2021.

“The authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran expect that China, as a friendly country with considerable capabilities, to take important steps to enhance ties,” Boroujerdi said, according to the website linked to the friendship assassination.

He urged China to invest in the development projects in Iran to improve the tourism industry in the Islamic nation.

China is the second largest economy in the world.

The implementation of the 25-year cooperation plan can pave the way for carrying out joint ventures in different arenas such as transit, manufacturing, energy, economy, trade, etc. the veteran politician remarked.

Iran-China ties have always been on the rise

Boroujerdi also said since the 1979 Islamic Revolution the trend of ties between Iran and China has been on the rise.

The increase in ties shows the will of the two countries’ officials to bolster relationship, he opined.

In view of the 25-year comprehensive cooperation, he suggested, the executive officials in the two countries have a great responsibility to implement it.

There is a great potential for cooperation between the two states in view of China’s technological know-how in different industries, including building high-speed trains, electric vehicles, solar plants, as well as its recent high-tech progress in manufacturing passenger plans, Boroujerdi stated.

Iran’s abundant transit potential provides unique opportunity for BRI

The former deputy foreign minister for Asia and the Pacific region went on to say that Iran’s great transit capacities provides a unique opportunity in line with implementing China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project.

For example, Boroujerdi said, Makran coasts in southeast Iran can greatly help the advance the BRI project.

Iran’s long coasts in Makran border the Sea of Oman.

He said development of railways from Iran’s south to the north, and from east to the west, will provide access to great markets in Central Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Iran is a safe and important transit route for the BRI project, he added.

China’s move in opening consulate in Badar Abbas shows will to strengthen ties

The former diplomat went on to say the fact that China has officially opened a consular office in the Iranian port city of Badar Abbs shows that Beijing is firm to solidify its relations with Iran.

Since Bandar Abbas is located on the shores of the Persian Gulf it is a “very important” port, he pointed out.

Iran’s sensitivity to its islands not less than China’s to Taiwan

He also said during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia last month in which the sides issued a joint statement which part of it was related to three Iranian island in the Persian Gulf and the fake for the Persian Gulf the people in Iran felt unhappy.

In the statement the “Persian Gulf” name was distorted while this name has been registered by the United Nations, Boroujerdi said.

“Our expectation from China as a friendly country and a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council is that it does not use fake name for the Persian Gulf,” he insisted.

The chairman of Iran-China Friendship Association said the public opinion in Iran and the government are sensitive toward this issue.

He went on to say that as Taiwan is an “inseparable part” of the motherland China, Iran is also sensitive toward its ownership of the three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf and it is necessary that China pay serious attention to Iran’s ownership of these islands.