As Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi is on an official visit to China, a senior political analyst says Iran’s 25-year strategic partnership agreement with China is the “strongest agreement” with Beijing in the region.

“Whoever studies the text of the 25-year partnership agreement will understand that this document benefits our country,” Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran and a political analyst, said.

He added that Iran’s opponents and Western media display high sensitivity to the deal which shows that it is “a very useful document for the Islamic Republic.”

When this document was signed in Iran, some opposed it but when other countries in the Persian Gulf or in other places signed similar agreements with China, the same critics commended them, the commentator said, adding that, the Iran’s strategic partnership agreement is the strongest deal the regional countries have ever clinched with Beijing.

Iran and China signed a landmark 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in March last year in defiance of unilateral sanctions against the two countries by the United States.

The deal officially documents the Sino-Iranian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that had been announced during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Tehran in 2016. It sets the outlines of cooperation in political, cultural, security, defense, regional, and international domains for the next 25 years.

The Iranian president arrived in Beijing on Tuesday morning at the head of a high-ranking politico-economic delegation on the official invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping.

Speaking to reporters before leaving Tehran for Beijing on Monday, Raeisi said Iran and China have similar views on fighting unilateralism at the international level.

During his three-day state visit, Raeisi plans to hold talks with the Chinese president, Prime Minister Li Keqiang and Chairman of the National People’s Congress Li Zhanshu. Senior officials of the two countries will sign important documents for developing bilateral cooperation in the presence of the two presidents.

This visit will be President Raeisi’s first visit to China after taking office in August 2021.

China: Development of ties ‘strategic choice’ of Tehran, Beijing

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Monday that Tehran and Beijing enjoy a traditional friendship as consolidating and developing bilateral relations is the “strategic choice” made by both sides.

Speaking at his regular press conference, Wang added that ties between Tehran and Beijing in recent years “have maintained the momentum of sound growth, featuring stronger political mutual trust, steady progress in practical cooperation in various fields, and sound communication and coordination in international and regional affairs in defense of the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and the common interest of developing countries” under the guidance of the two countries’ presidents.

The Chinese spokesperson reiterated his country’s willingness to regard President Raeisi’s visit as an opportunity to make greater progress in the comprehensive strategic partnership deal.

China is keen to play a “constructive role in enhancing solidarity and cooperation between countries in the Middle East and promoting regional security and stability,” he pointed out.