Accepting President Raisi's Visit, Xi Jinping: China Supports Iran Maintaining Its National Sovereignty

Meetings of Iran and China. (Twitter/@Iran_GOV)

JAKARTA - Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed support for Iran during President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to China, as Tehran tries to expand ties with Beijing and Moscow to offset Western sanctions over its nuclear development.

"China stands with Iran in safeguarding its national sovereignty, rejecting unilateralism and intimidation," President Xi said in remarks carried by Chinese state TV on his website, cited from Al Jazeera, Februari 15.

His comments came as China hosted President Raisi on his first state visit to the Asian economic giant and the first by an Iranian president in 20 years.

President Xi called for a proper resolution of the Iran nuclear issue, as he expressed Beijing's "solidarity" with Iran amid global uncertainty.

President Raisi was accompanied by a large Iranian trade and finance delegation in Beijing, greeted by President Xi with a red carpet.

"In the face of the current complex changes in the world, time and history, China and Iran have supported each other [and] cooperated in solidarity and cooperation," President Xi said, according to CCTV.

He said China would continue to "participate constructively" in talks to continue negotiations on implementing the Iran nuclear deal.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi with Chinese President Xi Jinping. (Twitter/@Chinamission2un/Xinhua/Yan Yan)

The 2015 nuclear deal limited Iran's uranium enrichment program, to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear weapons in return for lifting international sanctions. Iran says it is developing further nuclear energy for peaceful reasons.

But in 2018, then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned the deal, saying it was not enough to curb Tehran's nuclear activities, and reimposed sanctions.

China has criticized Washington for pulling out of the deal, insisting the US should take the first step in reviving the pact.

But in September, the US imposed new sanctions on companies involved in Iran's oil exports, including five based in China.

Washington says it will continue to impose sanctions on Iran's oil and petrochemical sales as long as Tehran continues to accelerate its nuclear program.

Furthermore, both countries are facing pressure from Western countries over their position on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while Iran is already under strict US sanctions because of its nuclear program.

Iran itself is emerging as one of Russia's few remaining allies, as Moscow has been pushed deeper into international isolation over the invasion.

Western countries accuse Tehran of supplying Russia with armed drones for use in its war in Ukraine, a charge Iran denies.

According to CCTV, the two sides signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents in agriculture, trade, tourism, environmental protection, health, disaster relief, culture and sports.

It is known that Raisi and Xi first met as presidents on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan in September. China has supported Iran's now successful bid to become a full member of the organization.

Last year, Iran and China also started the implementation phase of a 25-year cooperation agreement, under which China will invest billions of dollars in Iran's petroleum sector in exchange for supplies of oil products and petrochemicals. China is already Iran's biggest trading partner.

The pact was originally proposed by Xi during his visit to Iran in 2016.