Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Tehran on a key two-day visit to hold talks with Iranian officials about opportunities to develop cooperation in politics and trade.
Upon his arrival at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport on Friday, Xi was welcomed by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Pacific Affairs Ebrahim Rahimpour said earlier on Friday that the visit of Xi, heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, comes at the invitation of his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.
During his visit, Xi is scheduled to hold talks with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and President Rouhani, he added.
Rahimpour noted that the visit will be the first by a Chinese president to Iran in 14 years.
He said Iran and China will sign 17 documents for cooperation in economic, industrial, cultural and judicial fields in the presence of the two countries’ presidents.
The Chinese president’s trip to Tehran is the last leg of his three-nation tour which has also taken him to Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
The value of trade exchanges between Tehran and Beijing stood at some 52 billion dollars in 2014. However, the figure dropped in 2015 due to decreasing oil prices.