Two countries subject to U.S. sanctions, China and Iran, have signed signed a 25-year cooperation agreement on Saturday to strengthen their long-standing economic and political alliance.
The accord brings Iran into China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure scheme intended to stretch from East Asia to Europe.
The project aims to significantly expand China’s economic and political influence, and has raised concerns in the United States.
China has spoken out often against U.S. sanctions on Iran and partly contested them. Zarif called it “a friend for hard times”.
Wang met President Hassan Rouhani ahead of the signing in Tehran. The agreement was expected to include Chinese investments in sectors such as energy and infrastructure.
Rouhani expressed appreciation of Beijing’s support for Iran’s position on its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, in which it agreed to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of international sanctions.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
