President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) Hossein Selahvarzi says that focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will give a boost to relations between Iran and China.
Selahvarzi made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran on Monday with a delegation of the representatives from Chinese think tanks and research centers.
Referring to the US sanctions on Tehran, the Iran Chamber of Commerce president said that if the US can achieve its goals by the means of sanctions, it will undoubtedly apply similar tools against China.
He proposed that Iran and China should devise mechanisms so as to be least affected by the sanctions.
Selahvarzi also called for more cooperation between Tehran and Beijing on renewable energies.
He stressed that sanctions have no direct effect on renewable energies and will therefore provide a good potential for joint investments between Iran and China.
Selahvarzi also urged the need for both countries to focus on cooperation on SMEs, adding that Tehran and Beijing have been seeking China’s investments on Iranian mega project over the past 20 years and have failed to pay attention to the potential of the SMEs.
He also underlined the need for both nations to tap into the potential of their membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the BRICS bloc of developing countries to further strengthen bilateral relations.
In the meantime, the members of the Chinese delegation referred to trade ties as the main pillar of bilateral relations between Iran and China, noting that the Iran Chamber of Commerce can take significant steps in this regard.
Noting that China’s GDP is expected to hit $18 trillion by the yearend, they said that the Chinese private sector accounts for 50% ($9 trillion) of the sum.
The members of the Chinese delegation also noted that the county’s private sector is responsible for 80% of job creation and 90% of the number of businesses in China.
They welcomed the Iranian government’s unilateral lifting of visa requirements for the Chinese nationals which they said would positively affect trade and tourism cooperation between the two countries.