Iran, China eye joint development of oil and gas fields: Oil Minister
Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji announces that a number of agreements regarding Iranian-Chinese cooperation in the joint development of oil and gas reserves have been signed.
Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji said, on Wednesday, that Iran and China inked a number of agreements regarding cooperation in the joint development of oil and gas reserves during Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua's visit to Tehran.
"Several good agreements and memoranda on joint development of oil and gas fields with China have been signed during this [Hu's] visit," Owji said as quoted by the Iranian news agency IRNA.
Hu also met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and the first vice president of Iran, Mohammad Mokhber, to discuss the recent visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, where the leader participated in the first-ever Sino-Arab summit.
It is also worth noting that Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua said on Tuesday that "China supports Iran's national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national honor, and fights against foreign interference."
"Beijing's will to develop comprehensive strategic relations with Tehran has never changed," Hu Chunhua said in a meeting with Mohammad Mokhber, Iran's vice president.
Mokhber, for his part, said that China and Iran have a common view against unilateralism and hegemony, and that "respecting Iran's territorial integrity is a sensitive matter for us, and everyone must respect this point," referencing the three disputed Gulf islands between Iran and the UAE.
The Iranian vice president also pointed out that the bilateral negotiations between the two countries are progressing well, as he gave thanks to China for its support for Iran's presence in the Shanghai Cooperation and BRICS.