Xi: Support for Iran on nuclear deal to continue

He also hails friendly relations with Vietnam in talks with nation's leader

President Xi Jinping (L) meets with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in New York, the United States, Sept 28, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

President Xi Jinping extended on Monday China's support for Iran's reasonable demands concerning the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iranian nuclear issue, saying that Beijing is willing to step up coordination with Teheran to safeguard the common interests of both sides.

Xi made the remarks in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani. He also spoke on Monday with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

China will continue to support Iran's defense of its sovereignty and national dignity, and is willing to help the country fight COVID-19 to the best of its ability and secure an early victory against the pandemic, he said.

The two sides have stood in solidarity and helped each other in fighting the pandemic, while enabling their bilateral pragmatic cooperation to attain positive outcomes, Xi noted.

He added that both nations have offered each other staunch support on issues concerning their respective core interests and major concerns, which consolidated mutual strategic trust and upheld international fairness and justice.

With this year marking the 50th anniversary of the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties, China-Iran relations are also at a critical historic juncture in terms of building on their strong legacy and taking them forward, Xi said.

He underscored that China attaches great importance to relations with Iran, and is willing to use the 50th anniversary as an opportunity to scale up cooperation in various areas and to deepen bilateral cooperation to achieve more tangible results.

Beijing will continue to play a constructive role for the early and just settlement of the Palestinian issue and is willing to step up communication and cooperation with Teheran on regional and international affairs and jointly promote regional security and stability, he said.

Rouhani expressed appreciation for China's valuable support and help to countries in their virus fight, saying that Teheran firmly adhered to the one-China policy and supported Beijing's efforts to safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Iran is willing to step up strategic cooperation with China to expand win-win cooperation in areas such as trade, economics and energy and jointly building the Belt and Road, he said.

During his talks with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Xi said the traditional friendship as comrades and brothers is a shared precious treasure of the two parties and nations.

He highlighted the need for both sides to continuously expand bilateral trade, accelerate their infrastructure connectivity and fully explore the potential for cooperation.

The Vietnamese president offered congratulations on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of China, saying that Vietnam always supports the development of a strong socialist China that follows an independent foreign policy.

He called for closer political exchanges, strengthened solidarity and mutual trust and deeper cooperation in areas such as trade, virus response and people-to-people exchanges.