Iranian President Raisi begins visit to China

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in China on Tuesday for a three-day visit, flanked by a large delegation including his central bank chief and ministers for trade, the economy and oil.

Raisi will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in the capital Beijing, with the pair expected to sign a number of "cooperation documents", Tehran has said.

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Iran and China have strong economic ties — especially in the fields of energy, transit, agriculture, trade and investment — and in 2021 signed a 25-year "strategic cooperation pact".

Xi Jinping and Ebrahim Raisi pose for a photo at a summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan on Sept. 16, 2022. File/AP

Both countries face pressure from Western nations over their positions on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was launched almost a year ago, and Iran is already under huge US sanctions due to its nuclear programme.

Iran has emerged as one of Russia's few remaining allies as Moscow has been pushed deeper into international isolation over the invasion.

Western countries have accused Tehran of supplying armed drones to Russia for use in the war in Ukraine, a charge it denies.

In December, Washington outlined what it said was an extensive relationship between Iran and Russia involving equipment such as helicopters, fighter jets and drones, with the latter resulting in new US sanctions.

Moscow's offensive in Ukraine is a sensitive issue for Beijing, which has sought to position itself as neutral while offering diplomatic backing to its strategic ally Russia.

Agence France-Presse