Iran and China’s Defense Ministers vowed to boost military ties following a meeting in Beijing on Monday.
By By Zachary Keck
The Diplomat - May 06, 2014
On Monday China and Iran agreed to deepen defense ties, according to
Chinese state media. The announcement was made following a meeting
between Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan and his Iranian
counterpart, Hossein Dehqan.
According to Reuters, which quoted a report in Xinhua News Agency,
China said that bilateral relations “remained positive and steady,
featuring frequent high-level exchanges and deepened political mutual
trust.” Reuters also quoted Chang as saying that he is
personally “confident that the friendly relations between the two
countries as well as the armed forces will be reinforced” as a result of
“increased mutual visits and personnel training cooperation between the
armed forces.”
According to an Iranian news report, Chang also said that China views
Iran as a strategic partner. “Given Iran and China’s common views over
many important political-security, regional and international issues,
Beijing assumes Tehran as its strategic partner,” Chang was quoted as saying by Fars News Agency, which is viewed as having close ties with Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps.
For his part, Dehqan said, “The age-old and historical relations
between the two countries which date back to over 2,000 years ago are
full of instances of cooperation in cultural, economic, industrial and
technological arenas.” He also “voiced the hope that the two countries
will continue to play a positive role in safeguarding regional peace and
stability,” presumably referring to the Middle East and Central and
South Asia.
Read more....
