Iran and China seek to strengthen ties 'in every field' in a bid to boost trade

The issue was raised in a meeting between Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi and Chinese Parliament Speaker Vu-Bang Ju on Monday.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is determined to expand relations with the friendly country, China, in every field," Rahimi said.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran is ready for increasing its trade volume with China up to 100 billion US dollars annually," he added.

The Chinese Speaker, for his part, described Iran as an important and influential country both in the region and in the world, and said, "Expansion of relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran is among the strategic objectives of Beijing and China attaches great importance to its amicable relations with Tehran."

In April, Iranian Vice-President Mohammad Javad Mohammadizadeh and China's Deputy Prime Minister Li Keqiang China underlined the two countries' resolve to boost trade exchanges to more than $50 billion annually.

Trade between the two countries in the past year was estimated at $45 billion.