Oleg Davygora

15:32, 16.04.24

The conversation with a senior Iranian diplomat followed the unprecedented attack.

China’s top diplomat told Iran the countries could work together in a number of areas in the future, signaling their ties remain strong following Tehran’s unprecedented attack on Israel .

“China is willing to steadily promote practical cooperation with Iran in various fields and promote the further development of China-Iran relations,” Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahyan in a telephone conversation, Bloomberg writes  .

Wang also said China had taken note of Iran’s position that its military actions were “limited” and that the country was “exercising its right of self-defense,” according to a Foreign Ministry statement in Beijing. China also believed Iran could manage the situation to “avoid further turbulence,” he said.

Wang did not specify what kind of cooperation China is willing to develop with Iran, but Beijing has made similar promises in the past. Last year, Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to deepen ties after meeting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Beijing. Just weeks earlier, the US said it would increase pressure on China to stop buying Iranian oil.

China is the main buyer of Iranian oil, although Tehran suspended supplies in January, demanding higher prices. Beijing is also a key negotiating force in stalled talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

(C)UNIAN 2024