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Xi Jinping’s Signed Article in Iran Newspaper

Xi Jinping published a signed article titled, "Work Together for a Bright Future for China-Iran Relations." It appeared in the Iranian newspaper Iran on January 21, 2016, during his state visit to the country.

In his article, Xi said, "Economically, our bilateral trade jumped from tens of millions of U.S. dollars in the 1970s to 51.8 billion dollars in 2014. China has been Iran’s largest trading partner for six years in a row."

"I think, the cooperation between China and Iran under the framework of the ‘One Belt, One Road’ Initiative can focus on the following areas:

"- Enhance political mutual trust and firm the foundation for cooperation. We will establish a comprehensive strategic partnership and increase exchanges between political parties, legislative organizations, and local levels. We will deepen our cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and the U.N.

"- Pursue win-win outcomes and common prosperity. China has considerable strength in capital, technologies, equipment, and other areas. Iran has rich resources, an ample labor force, and a substantial market potential. The resource endowments and comparative advantages of China and Iran are highly complementary. The implementation of the JCPOA [the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which includes China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States] will bring new opportunities for the growth of China-Iran relations. 

"- Promote connectivity and expand practical cooperation. Connectivity is the artery of the "One Belt, One Road" Initiative. In building connectivity, we should give priority to Asian countries and start with transportation infrastructure. China has a strong competitive edge in areas such as railway, electricity, telecommunications, mechanical engineering, metallurgy, and construction materials. We committed US$40 billion to establish a Silk Road Fund in 2014 to support relevant cooperation projects in countries along the ‘One Belt, One Road.’ Iran is strategically located in the west part of Asia and has distinctive geographical advantages. China is willing to deepen cooperation with Iran on building roads, railways, sea routes, and the Internet; facilitate East-West connectivity in Asia; lower the cost of the cross-border movement of people, merchandise, and capital; and expand cooperation involving energy resources and industries.
"- Uphold openness and inclusiveness and encourage cultural exchanges. We need to strengthen exchanges in culture, education, news, publishing, tourism, and other fields and to encourage more exchanges between the youth and students."

Source: Xinhua, January 21, 2016
http://news.xinhuanet.com/world/2016-01/21/c_1117854563.htm

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