Iranian Media: Chinese President to Visit Tehran

According to Iranian news agencies, Xi Jinping, the President of China, will visit Tehran; this trip is likely to take place in late January. The official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, reports that Mr. Xi will be heading a high-level delegation to Tehran. However, this news agency cited an Iranian Foreign Ministry official stating that the exact timing of the visit is still unclear and will be announced in the future. On the other hand, the Mehr news agency has mentioned the travel date as 'January 22' and the duration as 'two days'. According to these news agencies, the Presidents of Iran and China are expected to discuss economic, strategic, regional, and international issues. Beijing has previously expressed its concerns about tensions in Iran-Saudi Arabia relations, urging both sides to maintain calm and resolve disputes through dialogue. China, the world's second-largest economy, is heavily reliant on energy resources in West Asia. On the other hand, it has taken fewer actions compared to other permanent members of the Security Council, such as Russia, the USA, or France, in resolving diplomatic issues in the Middle East. In recent months, Chinese markets have faced declines in stock indices. The relative recession of China's economy, along with new tensions from the Middle East and Iran-Saudi relations, has coincided with new nuclear tests in North Korea. On January 6, global stock prices hit their lowest level in three months. Iran-China relations have significantly expanded over the past decade; however, international sanctions and pressures on Tehran to limit its nuclear program have impacted these relations. China was one of the negotiating countries with Iran in the so-called 5+1 group. Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, visited Shanghai in China last May and, during his participation in the 'Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia' (CICA), called for increased economic, security, and political relations among Asian countries.