2016年CRI Iran Expects More Cooperation with China: Officials

 

Iran's Vice¹ President and chairman of Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization, Masoud Soltanifar, said Iran expects to deepen cooperation with China in the areas of tourism and culture.

He hoped that more Chinese visitors can come to Iran to enjoy the country's profound cultural heritage.

"We think that the number of Chinese who travel to Iran should be higher than it is now, which is currently lower than 50,000. We believe that about ten to 20 percent of foreign tourists will come from China in the next ten years, which means that we will receive one million or two million Chinese tourists."

Soltanifar said Iran is already trying to attract more visitors by simplifying visa application procedures and improving tourism facilities to cater² to Chinese visitors. For example, more Chinese restaurants, more travel guides who can speak Chinese, and more necessary facilities in accordance with the demands of Chinese tourists.

Iran's Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ali Tayyebnia pointed³ out that Xi Jinping's visit to Iran will provide important opportunities to develop cooperation in the fields of politics and trade.

"China is much more than a common trade partner to Iran. We consider China as a strategic partner and hope to keep our long-term friendship with China, without the interruption of any short-term political and economic factors. We believe that President Xi's visit to Iran sends a signal that China is willing to develop long-term strategic ties with Iran."

The minister also expressed his expectations that Iran will become more heavily involved in China's "Belt and Road" initiative, the modern day land and maritime⁴ Silk Roads.

"China's 'Belt and Road' initiative has attracted wide attention from people from all walks of life in Iran. Iran has a great capability⁵ and potential and we believe that this initiative will bring benefit to all the countries along the road. Therefore, we have expressed our interest in participating in this project. Meanwhile, some departments of Iran have put forward some plans and I hope Iran and Iranian enterprises can play an important in part in the 'Belt and Road' initiative."

Chinese President Xi Jinping is currently on a 4-day state tour of the Middle East and Soltanifar believes key agreements can be reached when Xi concludes his visit in Iran.

"It's expected that the two countries can come to a consensus⁶ during President Xi's visit and sign the related agreements. As I said before, China provided us much assistance during the difficult period of sanctions and helped us solve many problems. We will never forget our old friend after the lifting of the nuclear sanctions."

Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the proposal of jointly⁷ building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in 2013.

As part of the initiative, China committed 40 billion dollars to the establishment of a Silk Road Fund in 2014 to support relevant cooperation projects in countries along the Belt and Road.

Ahead of his state visit to the country, President Xi Jinping published a signed article titled "Work Together for a Bright Future of China-Iran Relations" on Iranian newspaper Iran on Thursday.

In the article, President Xi says China is ready to deepen cooperation with Iran on building roads, railway, sea routes and the Internet, and facilitating East-West connectivity in Asia.

For CRI, this is Fei Fei.

1 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

2 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

5 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

6 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

7 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。