Beijing, Tehran to fight terrorism

Officials from China and Iran have vowed to expand and deepen their bilateral relations and further enhance cooperation in fighting terrorism at a meeting in Tehran.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy, Meng Jianzhu, the head of the Communist Party of China Central Committee's Political and Legal Affairs Commission, said that "China and Iran have broad common interests on anti-terrorism," during a three-day meeting from Saturday to Monday.

"China is willing to further strengthen cooperation with Iran and play a positive role in maintaining the security interests of both countries and promoting regional peace and stability," he added.

Iranian Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri and Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazl said China-Iran ties have been improving. They added Iran hopes to further work with China on the Silk Road Economic Belt and is willing to closely coordinate with China in dealing with threats.

Experts said the deal is consistent with the strategic interests of both countries.

"Iran has supported Iraq in opposing ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) and has been cooperating with Iran to protect China from the ISIS threat," Wang Guoxiang, an associate professor at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times Tuesday. Wang said that China and Iran face similar threats from ISIS.

"China faces terrorist threats, especially in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and many terror attacks are linked to overseas terrorists," said Li Wei, an anti-terrorism expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. Li added that China has been working with surrounding countries on anti-terrorism.

Both countries could share intelligence about terrorist activities and enhance cooperation in law enforcement and security, he stressed.

In September, China and Iran conducted joint naval drills in the strategic Persian Gulf that experts consider as a sign of China's expanding role in the Middle East and security interests in that region.