Iran’s defense minster visits China to discuss cooperation

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami has arrived in China’s capital Beijing for a visit during which he is expected to discuss mutual defense cooperation with Chinese officials.  

General Hatami’s visit would be in response to an invitation by the Chinese Defense General Minister Wei Fenghe. He would meet various Chinese military and political officials for talks on matters of mutual interest as well as regional and international developments.

Upon arrival in Beijing, the Iranian defense minister told reporters that Iran’s relations with China were rooted in history and that both had satisfactory cooperation in the area of defense. He stressed that international and regional developments require an ever more strengthening of the two countries’ ties.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has had historic defense ties with China since the Islamic Revolution and collaboration between the two countries should persist” said General Hatami.

He further stated that his visit aimed to prepare the grounds for the implementation of a pact signed between the countries’ defense ministers in 2016.

Iran, China sign defense-military agreement

Iran and China sign an agreement to boost defense-military cooperation and fight terrorism.

Iran and China signed an agreement to boost defense and military cooperation in Tehran in November 2016. According to the then Iranian defense minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, the pact aimed at boosting cooperation on long-term strategic interests as well as countering the growing threat of terrorism exhibited by groups such as Daesh.

The pact had been a result of ongoing high-level meetings between the two countries’ defense officials. Iranian and Chinese defense minsters had previously met in Moscow in April 2015 and in China in May 2014 to discuss issues such as military personnel training and counter terrorism efforts.