The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Sayyid
Ebrahim Raisolsadati, also known as Ebrahim Raisi, began his three-day visit to
the People’s Republic of China on Tuesday in order to strengthen economic
cooperation between Tehran and Beijing.
Raisi arrived at the Beijing airport on Tuesday morning. He
would hold private talks with Xi Jinping, the President of the People's
Republic of China.
The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran wrote on
Twitter, “Ebrahim Raisi, who had left for China at the official invitation of
his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in order to expand economic and political
interactions with Asian countries, arrived at the Beijing airport on Tuesday
morning.”
According to Tehran, the Iranian President and the Chinese
President are expected to sign a number of cooperation documents in various
fields. According to Iran’s state news agency IRNA, Raisi will also hold
meetings with Chinese businessmen and Iranians living in China.
Wang Wenbin, Deputy Director of the Foreign Ministry
Information Department of China, said that the Iranian President would also
meet Premier Li Keqiang and top Chinese legislator Li Zhanshu. China’s foreign
ministry spokesman further said, “China and Iran enjoy a traditional
friendship.”
During a media briefing on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Ministry
spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, highlighted the importance of Raisi’s trip to China.
He reportedly said, “The visit is particularly important from a political
perspective. The visit will be made upon an official invitation by Chinese
President Xi Jinping.”
The Iranian President and the Chinese President met for the
first time in September 2022 in Uzbekistan at a summit for the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic, security and
defence organization.
In December 2022, the Chinese President visited the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and met with the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council
(GCC), a regional, intergovernmental, political, and economic union.