China ‘determined to’ support Iran’s sovereignty, territorial integrity: Envoy

Chinese ambassador to Tehran Chang Hua on Wednesday said Beijing considers ties with Iran “strategic” and “decisively” supports and respects Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“China decisively supports Iran against foreign intervention and for preserving its national sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national dignity,” the ambassador said on Wednesday during an event in southeastern Iran. 

He made the remarks at the inauguration ceremony of the Chinese consulate in Bandar Abbas, southern Iran's Hormozgan Province. 

China sees ties with Iran from a strategic point of view, he said, reaffirming Beijing’s determination to expand its strategic partnership with Iran based on agreements between leaders of the two countries as well as the 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement between China and Iran.

• China deputy premier to Raeisi: Beijing always respects Iran’s sovereignty, territorial integrity

The remarks came days after a joint statement by China and states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Friday made controversial claims about three Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf.

The statement affirmed support for efforts, including the initiative and endeavors of the United Arab Emirates, to reach a "peaceful solution to the issue of the three islands through bilateral negotiations in accordance with the rule of international law and to resolve this issue in accordance with international legitimacy".

The strategically-positioned islands of Abu Musa, the Lesser Tunb, and the Greater Tunb have always been part of Iran, the proof of which can be corroborated by countless historical, legal, and geographical documents in Iran and other parts of the world.

Tehran has on numerous occasions categorically rejected claims made by other Persian Gulf countries to the three Iranian islands, saying that they definitely belong to Iran and will remain sovereign Iranian territories forever.

Reacting to the statement, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday noted that Iran would never compromise with any country on the importance of respecting its territorial integrity.  

"The islands of Abu Musa, the Greater Tunb and the Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf are inseparable parts of the pure land of Iran and belong to this motherland forever," he said during the Tehran Dialogue Forum.

On Monday, the minister said that Beijing had corrected “an error” made in the joint statement.

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The GCC-China statement has been used as a tool by anti-Iranian media to downplay strategic relations between Iran and China.

The two countries signed a landmark 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in March 2021 in defiance of the US unilateral sanctions.

The deal officially documents the Sino-Iranian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership that was announced during a visit by Xi to Tehran in 2016. It sets the outlines of their cooperation in political, cultural, security, defense, regional, and international domains for the next 25 years.

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