POLITICS

Exclusive interview: Iran's deputy FM on the future of China-Iran relations

2017-05-25 23:05 GMT+8
Editor He Yan

By CGTN’s Cui Hui'ao

Iran has just re-elected Hasan Rouhani as the country's president. In his first term, Rouhani succeeded in reaching a nuclear agreement, which led to UN sanctions against Iran being lifted.

How will his re-election shape Iran's future relations with China, and are China-Iran relations all about oil?

CGTN on Thursday sat down with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ebrahim Rahimpour to discuss some of the key issues.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ebrahim Rahimpour during exclusive interview with CGTN. /CGTN Photo

Rahimpour said Iran believes the sanctions have been lifted and Iran should be seen as a normal country.

“We conduct all our nuclear operations under the supervision of the IAEA, and we are not worried about our peaceful nuclear activities in the future. This has been confirmed by all the P5+1 nations except for Mr Donald Trump,” he said.

On future relations with China, Rahimpour said Chinese companies do not need to have any concerns with cooperation with Iran in economic activities, and those outside voices that claim Iran is a risky country for investment, “what they are trying to do is to terrify Chinese companies, so that they can replace China and become trade partners with Iran."

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ebrahim Rahimpour during exclusive interview with CGTN. /CGTN Photo

With President Hassan Rouhani recently winning re-election, Rahimpour believes it will bring Iran’s relationship with China to a new level, especially in the energy sector.

“We believe in the second term of Dr. Rouhani as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, there will be more fields and capabilities to increase our cooperation with China, especially in the energy sector," he stated.

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