Raesi, Xi to schedule meeting for expanding bilateral ties

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Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is scheduled to meet with President Xi Jinping during his visit to China to discuss the execution of a comprehensive cooperation deal between Tehran and Beijing, according to Iran's Deputy Chief of Staff for Political Affairs Mohammad Jamshidi.

"One of the goals of Raisi's visit to Beijing is the implementation of the comprehensive agreement between Iran and China," Jamshidi was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

It was also noted that a meeting of this tier following an invitation from the Chinese side is unprecedented in 20 years. ISNA reported that this meeting will entail a group of bilateral agreements. 

The Iranian envoy will include Iranian Economy Minister Ehsan Khandouzi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Agriculture Minister Jihad Seyyed Javad Sadati Nejad, Roads Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, Industry Minister Reza Fatemi Amin, Oil Minister Javad Ouji, and Central Bank Chairman Mohammad Reza Farzin.

Before making a state visit to China, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi had a meeting with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, according to Tasnim news agency.

Raisi delivered the Leader a report on his working schedule and the meetings he will hold in Beijing during the meeting, which was held on Monday in Tehran.

In recent years, China has consolidated its position as Iran's leading trading partner. China sent goods worth $12.7 billion to Iran during the first ten months of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2022 – January 20, 2023), while importing goods worth $12.6 billion.

In late December, The Iranian vice president 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.

Read more: The Iran-China strategic agreement