TEHRAN- The head of the Iran-China Friendship Association Alaeddin Boroujerdi emphasized that Tehran does not have any restrictions on the development of relations between the two countries, and that there is ample room for increasing cooperation in various fields.

He made the remarks during a Monday meeting with the deputy secretary of the Jiangxi Provincial Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, who is leading a delegation from Jiangxi Province on a visit to Iran.

Referring to the historical friendly relations and abundant cultural commonalities between the two countries, he expressed hope that Iran and China would take higher steps in the path of developing relations.

He stated that the Iran-China Friendship Association is very interested in taking practical steps to implement the 25-year agreement between the two countries in various fields, emphasizing: Iran has no restrictions on bilateral relations and there is ample room for increasing cooperation.

Boroujerdi said that the people of Iran will not forget the cooperation with China, especially during the difficult eight-year imposed war and the outbreak of the coronavirus. 

He also considered Iran and China as friends for all seasons and said that when the Tiananmen Square incident occurred and many countries’ ambassadors left their missions, he, as Iran’s ambassador in Beijing at the time, stayed in his mission and did not leave China in difficult circumstances.

The head of the Iran-China Friendship Association referred to the Tehran metro network as one of the good symbols of cooperation between the two countries, the benefit of which the people of Iran are witnessing today. 

He also mentioned China’s top ranking in high-speed train technology and said that if Chinese companies implement high-speed train lines in Iran, people will have a more positive view of China and cooperation between the two countries, while there is also potential for cooperation in the aviation industry.

Boroujerdi also suggested establishing a sisterhood relationship between Jiangxi Province in China and one of the provinces in Iran, which was met with enthusiasm from the Chinese side.

The head of the Iran-China Friendship Association also congratulated the new Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Tehran, Cong Peiwu.

Yin Jianye, the deputy head of the Jiangxi Provincial Consultative Committee, also considered cooperation with the Iran-China Friendship Association to be very important and appreciated the Association’s efforts in coordinating trips and meetings with the Jiangxi Provincial delegation to Iran. 

He requested the Iran-China Friendship Association to arrange a visit to Jiangxi Province.

This Chinese provincial official, referring to his recent visit to Isfahan and meeting with Mahmoud Haqiqat Sarshar, the Deputy for Economic Affairs of Isfahan Province, said that in that meeting, good topics were discussed and the potentials of Isfahan and Jiangxi provinces for increasing cooperation were discussed and exchanged.

He stated that it was decided that Isfahan and Jiangxi provinces would each form a working group to advance the topics discussed in the meetings of provincial officials.

Yin Jianye highlighted the high tourism and economic potentials of Jiangxi Province in various fields such as aircraft manufacturing, electronics, and metal industries. 

He mentioned that although Jiangxi Province still lags behind some prominent provinces in China economically, it achieved an eight percent economic growth last year, which is significant in itself.

He also pointed out that in recent years, cooperation between Jiangxi Province and Iran has strengthened, citing a joint mining cooperation project between Jiangxi Province and East Azerbaijan Province in Iran as an example, while noting that the two countries could have more collaborative projects in the future under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Chinese provincial official referred to the statements of Ms. Fu, the second-ranking diplomat at the Chinese Embassy in Tehran, emphasizing the importance of the new Chinese Ambassador to Iran in the development of relations through the Friendship Associations of the two countries. 

He said that these statements have encouraged and doubled the hope of Jiangxi Province for increasing cooperation with Iran.

Ms. Fu, in this meeting, expressed her appreciation for the actions taken by the Iran-China Friendship Association to facilitate a delegation from Jiangxi Province to visit Iran. 

She also stated that the new Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Tehran, who has recently arrived in Iran, attaches special importance to the role of Friendship Associations in developing relations and calls for strengthening inter-provincial cooperation between the two countries.

She mentioned that throughout history, the two countries have never had a dark moment in their relations, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his visit to Tehran in 2016, called for elevating the friendly relations between the two countries to a strategic level.

Ms. Fu recalled that during the visit of Ebrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, to China last year, Xi Jinping explicitly stated that regardless of any conditions in the world, the conditions of friendly relations and cooperation between Iran and China will not change.

China's newly-appointed ambassador to Iran officially started his diplomatic mission in Tehran.

He arrived in the Iranian capital on Friday to take over the role from his predecessor, Chang Hua, who had served a five-year term in the Chinese embassy in Tehran. 

Prior to his assignment in Iran, he was China’s ambassador to Canada and also held a position at the Department of North American and Oceanian Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.