TEHRAN – An Iranian lawmaker has hailed the positive results of the recent trip by Iranian President Ayatollah Ebrahim Raisi to China, saying the joint statement issued during the trip indicated Iran’s global strength. 

The lawmaker, Shahriyar Heidari, who is a member of the Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said the trip was of “strategic” importance, Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported on Friday. 

“This is a strategic trip to implement the 25-year strategic document between Iran and China, which can create a huge transformation for the economy of the two countries,” Heidari told IRNA. 

“China has signed the 25-year strategic agreement while in the know about the pressures on the Islamic Republic. The prospect of this agreement was made regardless of the American sanctions and it leads to the development of the level of bilateral economic cooperation and the strengthening of political and cultural interactions for the two countries,” he said. 

He pointed out that the resources that both parties should invest are defined. “Iran and China, two powerful countries, share a common view of the international system, and this creates power for these two countries and influences other countries and can be a threat to the unilateralism of the United States in the international system,” he noted. 

The lawmaker continued, “While the Islamic Republic is subjected to cruel sanctions by European countries and America, the visit of the president to China can be effective in neutralizing the sanctions.”

Underlining that China is a powerful country in the world in the economic field, Heidari said, “This trip has widely reverberated at the international level and shows the strengthening of the economic diplomacy of the 13th government.”

Commenting on the joint statement issued by the presidents of Iran and China, the lawmaker said, “The countries of the Middle East need to review their behavior in the field of foreign policy. There should be more unity and solidarity between the countries without the presence of foreigners. Therefore, the Islamic Republic's view of regional security and the use of the countries' capacity has been without the presence of the United States.”
Heidari added, “One of the goals of the Islamic Republic has been to ensure the security of the Middle East by these countries themselves so that America does not have an excuse to be present under the pretext of Iran phobia and threats.”

The lawmaker also referred to the issue of the Iran nuclear deal, formally called the JCPOA, which was mentioned in the joint statement. 

“China and Russia are members of JCPOA; China always believes that the Islamic Republic is advancing its program within the framework of the (International)Atomic (Energy) Agency institutions, and the United States is looking for accusations in order to get concessions from different countries under this pretext,” he said. 

Stating that China's view on the JCPOA was positive, he clarified, “China has played a good role in JCPOA issues and is considered a powerful economic country and a serious competitor of America, therefore issuing a joint statement between Iran and China indicates the impact of the power and authority of the Islamic Republic in the international system.”