Xi reaffirms his fidelity to Iran nuclear agreement

In Kyrgyzstan, president seeks more cooperation with Pakistan, Belarus

President Xi Jinping reaffirmed on Friday that China supports the implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal, and said that steady development of ties with Iran will be promoted no matter how the international and regional situation changes.

Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of 19th Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

China upholds the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the Iran nuclear issue, Xi said.

The deal was reached between Iran and six major powers－China, Britain, France, Russia, Germany and the United States－in July 2015. US President Donald Trump announced Washington's withdrawal from the agreement last year and restarted sanctions against Iran. Other parties to the deal have tried to safeguard the agreement.

Beijing stands ready to strengthen coordination and cooperation with Teheran within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the SCO to jointly safeguard the basic norms governing international relations and multilateralism, along with the shared interests of developing countries, Iran and China included, Xi told Rouhani.

He said both countries should strengthen strategic communication and support each other on issues related to their respective core interests.

Calling for pragmatic cooperation between the two nations, Xi said they should also intensify teamwork in anti-terrorism and in fighting cross-border crime, as well as jointly combating the three evil forces of terrorism, separatism and extremism, including the East Turkistan Islamic Movement.

Rouhani said Teheran resolutely opposes Washington's one-sided withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.

He commended China for its positive role in international affairs, saying Iran is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with it.

Iran-China relations are strategically important in the long run, and Iran attaches great importance and remains committed to developing all-around cooperation with China, he said.

Iran is ready to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and tap potential for bilateral cooperation in a wide range of fields, Rouhani said.