On October 12, the 15th Annual Meeting of the China-Iran Friendship Associations was convened in Beijing, under the theme “Contributing Civil Forces to the High-Quality Development of China-Iran Friendly Cooperation”. The opening ceremony was attended by Yang Wanming, President of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC); Boroujerdi, Chairman of the Iran-China Friendship Association; and Mohsen Bakhtiar, Iranian Ambassador to China. Approximately 70 participants were present, including representatives from local friendship associations across many Chinese provinces and cities, relevant enterprises, media, and members of the visiting delegation from the Iran-China Friendship Association, along with Iranian expatriates and students in China.
President Yang Wanming welcomed the delegation from the Iran-China Friendship Association to China for the China International Friendship Conference and the 70th Anniversary Celebration of CPAFFC. He emphasized that China views its relationship with Iran from a strategic and long-term perspective. In his congratulatory message to Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raisi, President Xi Jinping expressed China’s willingness to work with Iran to guide the comprehensive strategic partnership towards deeper and broader horizons.
President Yang put forward three suggestions to further strengthen the annual meeting’s role as a bridge and consolidate its mechanisms: actively promote subnational cooperation to broaden the scope of exchanges; strive to enhance pragmatic cooperation to deepen collaborative efforts; and focus on youth exchanges to strengthen the foundation of friendship. He highlighted that these initiatives would help transform the annual meeting into a platform for enhancing communication, sharing experiences, generating ideas, and fostering cooperation. This would enable civil forces to play a crucial role in ensuring the steady and long-term development of China-Iran relations, yielding substantial outcomes.
Chairman Boroujerdi noted that this year’s meeting coincided with the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 70th anniversary of the CPAFFC, adding special significance to the event. He congratulated China on its impressive achievements in economic and social development, and emphasized that both China and Iran are ancient civilizations with a long-standing friendship. The Iran-China Friendship Association is committed to close collaboration with its Chinese counterparts to continuously promote traditional friendship and advance pragmatic cooperation across various fields, benefiting both nations and their peoples.
Ambassador Bakhtiar praised the important role of civil organizations, including the friendship associations of both countries, in enhancing mutual understanding, fostering friendship, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation, and maintaining global peace. He noted that various sectors in Iran highly value relations with China and are eager to collaborate more closely under the frameworks of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative, and the Global Civilization Initiative. Such efforts would deepen China-Iran relations and contribute to peace and stability worldwide.
Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on two key topics: promoting pragmatic cooperation between China and Iran and deepening cultural exchanges. They reached a broad consensus on strengthening cooperation across civil society, subnational partnerships, and youth engagement.
At the conclusion of the meeting, President Yang Wanming and Chairman Boroujerdi signed the Memorandum of the 15th Annual Meeting of the China-Iran Friendship Associations.
