Ebrahim Raeisi, Iranian president, says China has welcomed the Islamic Republic’s bid to join the group of the world’s emerging economies, Known as BRICS.
Raeisi said Tehran’s membership in the group will be beneficial while speaking to media in Tehran on Thursday after concluding a formal three-day state visit to China.
“There was a discussion about Iran’s membership in BRICS, and we saw China’s desire for this membership,” he said.
“We have an effective role in the field of security in the region and across the world and we should play an effective role in the economy and trade as well,” the president maintained.
Raeisi went on to say that Iran’s good connections with China, as a developing country that plays a major role in Asia, can be very beneficial to Tehran at both the regional and global levels.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa compose the BRICS group. Their economies account for more than 40% of the global population and over a quarter of global GDP.
Regarding his “extremely useful and successful” visit to China, the Iranian president expressed hope that Tehran and Beijing’s relations in numerous domains, particularly trade and economics, would strengthen further.
Raeisi stated that Tehran and Beijing are determined to strengthen cooperation in the domains of commerce, economy, energy, research, and technology, and that they have signed 20 treaties and memorandums of understanding in this regard.
He stated that the two nations’ ministers had fruitful discussions in the energy, industry, trade, and road and urban development sectors, and that they decided to expand bilateral relations in these areas based on technology transfer.
Raeisi stated in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing on Tuesday that Iran and China are “friends in difficult times,” and that continuously improving relations between the two countries will contribute to regional and global security.
The Iranian president emphasized the need of expanding Iran-China ties in many economic, trade, scientific, and cultural areas, as well as the implementation of a strategic 25-year agreement between the two nations, which he described as “pivotal” to regional peace and stability.
Iran and China signed a milestone 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership pact in March of last year, defying US unilateral sanctions against the two countries.
The agreement formalizes the Sino-Iranian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, which was unveiled during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tehran in 2016. It establishes the framework for cooperation in the political, cultural, security, defense, regional, and international spheres during the next 25 years.
