China, Iran upgrade ties to carry forward millennia-old friendship

"China is wiling to maintain communication and coordination with Iran to safeguard peace and stability in the region and the world at large," he said.

For his part, Rouhani noted that Xi is the first foreign head of state to visit Iran after its nuclear issue was resolved, which demonstrates the level of positive and friendly relations between the two countries.

The president said the visit will be a milestone in the history of Iran-China relations.

Iran values China's important role in international affairs, bears in mind the long-term support and assistance China has given to Iran and thanks China for its contributions in helping solve the nuclear issue in a political way, Rouhani said.

In a joint statement issued after the summit talks, China and Iran announced that they agree to set up an annual meeting mechanism between the their foreign ministers as a part of the efforts to deepen mutual strategic trust.

The two countries said that they oppose all kinds of use of force or threatening with the use of force, imposing unjust sanctions against other countries, and terrorism in any form.

They believe that controversial or acute international issues should be resolved through negotiations and political dialogue.

The document also said that China supports Iran's application for full membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Iran is now one of six observers of the SCO, which was founded in 2001 and now has China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its full members.

A slew of cooperation deals were also signed Saturday, covering various fields such as energy, industrial capacity, finance, investment, communications, culture, judiciary, science and technology, news media, customs, climate change and human resources.