Chinese vice premier meets with Iranian president

TEHRAN, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Iran's capital Tehran on Tuesday.

Hu conveyed Chinese President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings and best wishes to Raisi, and briefed the Iranian president on the major achievements and far-reaching significance of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in October.

Xi and Raisi had a phone conversation in July and held a meeting in September, in which they reached important consensus on deepening China-Iran relations, he said.

China views its ties with Iran from a strategic perspective and will not waver in its determination to develop their comprehensive strategic partnership, Hu said, adding China firmly supports Iran in opposing external interference and safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity.

China, he said, stands ready to work with Iran to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, make joint efforts to advance the implementation of the China-Iran comprehensive cooperation plan, and push for new progress in bilateral practical cooperation.

For his part, Raisi said Iran and China enjoy traditional friendship and the bilateral ties are of important strategic significance.

No matter how the international and regional landscapes change, Iran will remain firmly committed to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, the Iranian president noted.

Raisi also said Iran, which has always been a trustworthy partner of China, stands ready to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests and major concerns, actively implement the bilateral comprehensive cooperation plan, continuously boost all-round cooperation, and deliver more cooperation outcomes.

On the same day, Hu also held talks with Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, where they exchanged in-depth views on implementing the comprehensive cooperation plan between China and Iran and promoting bilateral practical cooperation.