Tehran to Host Chinese President on January 21 and 22

Following reports about Xi Jinping's visit to Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, Iran's ambassador in Beijing has announced that the Chinese president will visit Tehran on January 21 and 22, leading a high-level political and economic delegation. According to the state news agency IRNA, Ali Asghar Khaji stated on Friday, January 15, that the visit will focus on important regional issues and the evaluation of agreements and joint projects, particularly in economic and energy sectors. Mr. Khaji noted that the two sides will negotiate on 'industrial interactions, cooperation regarding the Silk Road revival plan, development of transportation cooperation including rail and port projects, and interactions in the fields of science and technology.' Meanwhile, the Iranian presidential website also announced that during this visit, 'numerous documents' of cooperation and agreements in economic, political, legal, and cultural fields will be signed between the two countries. According to this website, the Chinese president will be accompanied by three vice-premiers, six ministers, and 'a large delegation of businessmen and media.' This will be Xi Jinping's first visit to Iran, occurring approximately 14 years after former Chinese President Jiang Zemin's visit to Tehran. Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian president, visited Shanghai in China last year and called for increased economic, security, and political relations among Asian countries during the 'Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia' (CICA). According to statistics from the Chinese Customs Administration, China has been Iran's primary economic partner in recent years, with trade volume reaching $52 billion in 2014. Before heading to Tehran, the Chinese president will visit Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This visit comes amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Riyadh over the execution of Nimr Baqir al-Nimr, a Shia cleric, and the subsequent attack on the Saudi embassy in Iran, leading to a severance of relations between the two countries. China, by sending a diplomatic delegation to Tehran and Riyadh led by Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Ming, has called for a reduction in tensions between the two countries to maintain stability in the region. China is also one of the P5+1 countries that reached a nuclear agreement with Iran in Vienna six months ago after lengthy negotiations.