TEHRAN- The Global Times, an English-language Chinese daily, said in article on Monday that the trip of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to China can boost friendship and long-standing connection of Tehran and Beijing.

The Iranian president started his tour of Beijing from Tuesday that will last until Thursday. The visit took place at the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, according to the Global Times.

Political pundits believe that Raisi’s travel to Beijing will strengthen the development of the strategic cooperation between the two nations and that it shows that his administration is plowing ahead with plans to advance the Look East policy.

The daily added that “Iran’s ‘Look to the East’ policy meant the transition from its policy of negative balancing and non-alignment to building alliances with non-Western world powers that have similar political structures to Iran, such as Russia and China.”

According to Tang Zhichao, a political analyst at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, who spoke to the Global Times on Sunday, the development of the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership, the advancement of the 25-year cooperation agreement, and the expedited implementation of the agreement should be the top priorities of President Raisi’s visit to China.  

The primary goal of Raisi’s visit is to forward the procedure since it is advantageous to the people on both sides, Tang said.

Strong economic relations exist between Iran and China, particularly in the areas of energy, transit, agriculture, commerce, and investment. 

The 25-Year Iran-China Strategic Agreement, which was signed in 2021, calls for political, economic, and strategic cooperation.

In December 2022, in Tehran, Raisi reportedly reassured Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua that Iran will continue to be dedicated to strengthening its strategic alliance with China, regardless of regional and global circumstances.

Political analysts believe that China and Iran should talk about a variety of bilateral and global topics, such as the situation in Afghanistan, regional challenges, climate change, security, and energy cooperation.