On April 22, 2025, Professor Ding Long of the Middle East Studies Institute at Shanghai Foreign Studies University was interviewed by Global Times on Iranian FM's Visit to China, the full text of which is below:
Iranian FM to visit China amid ongoing indirect talks with US
At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi will visit China on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced on Tuesday.
China and Iran maintain smooth and frequent communications as comprehensive strategic partners. The visit, coming amid Iran's indirect negotiations with the US, highlights China's important role in the Iranian nuclear issue and the high level of mutual trust and strategic coordination between China and Iran, Chinese observers said.
In response to a query about the schedule and agenda of Araghchi's visit to China, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said that China and Iran enjoy a long-standing friendship. Over the past 54 years since China and Iran established diplomatic ties, our two countries have rendered each other respect, trust and support, boosted the sound and steady growth of bilateral ties, and promoted regional and global peace and stability.
During the visit, the two sides will have in-depth exchange of views on China-Iran relations and on international and regional hotspot issues of mutual interest. We believe that the upcoming visit is vital for the two sides to implement the important common understandings reached between the leaders of the two countries, deepen political mutual trust, advance cooperation in various fields and jointly defend multilateralism, Guo said.
Zhu Yongbiao, executive director of the Research Center for the Belt and Road at Lanzhou University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that China and Iran have maintained frequent mutual visits in recent years and the 25-year Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement is coming to fruition.
The two countries enjoy a comprehensive strategic partnership and have enhanced coordination on many multilateral occasions, such as meetings of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS, Zhu said, adding that despite external pressures and changing international dynamics, bilateral trade and people-to-people exchanges are still strong.
Another high-stakes item on the agenda during Araghchi's visit will be the ongoing Iran-US indirect negotiation.
Iran will hold consultations with Chinese officials on the process of its indirect talks with the US and will inform them of the latest developments in this regard, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday at a weekly press conference in Tehran, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
China and Iran will also discuss Iran's nuclear program and the removal of US sanctions, as well as China-Iran ties, Baghaei said. China can play a constructive and influential role as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), describing China as Iran's important friend and partner, he said.
Ding Long, a professor with the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the Iranian foreign minister's China visit highlights the high level of mutual trust and close coordination between the two comprehensive strategic partners.
Ding believes such consultations are crucial and necessary considering that China is permanent member of the UNSC and a key signatory of the now-stalled Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed in 2015.
China and Iran are conducting intensive communication on the issue through various channels, including bilateral talks as well as the China-Russia-Iran trilateral consultations, Ding said.
The three parties met in March in Beijing and issued a joint statement emphasizing the necessity of terminating all unlawful unilateral sanctions. They reiterated that political and diplomatic engagement and dialogue based on the principle of mutual respect remains the only viable and practical option in this regard, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Iran and the US are set to hold the third round of their indirect talks in Muscat, Oman on Saturday. The first round also took place in Muscat on April 12 while the second round was held in Italian capital Rome on April 19 with Oman's mediation, according to Xinhua.
Ding said both Iran and the US have a strong will to reach an agreement, however, much divergence remains on the technical details of a potential deal, Ding said.
Also, the US has adopted a deterrence-and-negotiation approach, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the talks, according to Ding.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, in response to an inquiry on Iran-US nuclear talks, said earlier in April that against the current backdrop, it is all the more important for parties to the Iranian nuclear issue to work in the same direction, strengthen dialogue and engagement, and avoid any escalation.
As the country which unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA and caused the current situation, the US needs to show political sincerity, act in the spirit of mutual respect, engage in dialogue and consultation, and stop the threat of force and maximum pressure, Lin said.
Source: Global Times
(The views expressed in this article are the personal views of the author or the interviewee, and do not represent the position of this research institution)
