News / Interviews

China, Iran seek to broaden strategic economic ties: Pundit

Sunday, 24 January 2016 6:33 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 24 January 2016 6:34 AM ]

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) meets with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping ahead of a meeting in Tehran on January 23, 2016. ©AFP

Press TV interviews with Scott Rickard, a former American intelligence linguist from Orlando, and Carol Gould, an investigative journalist from London, to discuss Iran and China’s resolve to enhance their relations.

Rickard says “the ties between Iran and China are thousands of years old,” adding that the relations are “very strategic” given their role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Closer Tehran-Beijing cooperation is going to boost their economic situation at a time when the West is grappling with many economic woes, he argues.

Rickard says while the Western economies are facing financial difficulties, some organizations such as the BRICS group of emerging powers -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and the SCO are gaining ground, adding Iran’s presence in the international bodies could pave the way for their growth.

Pointing to the key roles of China, Russia and Iran in regional developments, the linguist says the three countries are standing against the destructive intervention of the US, along with its allies in NATO and the Persian Gulf region, in sovereign Middle Eastern and North African states.

Gould, for her part, refers to the agreements signed between the Islamic Republic and China during President Xi Jinping’s Saturday visit to Tehran, saying this is a “good sign” for the future of bilateral relations between the two sides.

She adds that the agreements can help China overcome its current economic hardships and also benefit Tehran after the recent lifting of Western sanctions that had been imposed against the Islamic Republic over its nuclear case.

The journalist also highlights the significance of the trade-based alliance among Iran, China and Russia.

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