An illustrative photo of Iranian (R) and Chinese national flags

China has offered congratulations to Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi on his inauguration as Iran�s new president, predicting that, under his watch, the Islamic Republic will make "greater progress" in socio-economic development.

"We believe that under the leadership of President Ebrahim Raeisi, Iran will achieve greater progress in nation-building and socio-economic development," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement on Friday.

The statement was released a day after Raeisi took an oath of office in an inauguration ceremony at the Iranian Parliament (Majlis), which was attended by high-ranking Iranian civil and military officials as well as a great number of foreign dignitaries from more than 80 countries.

On Tuesday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution officially endorsed Raeisi�s mandate as Iran�s new president through a ceremony at Imam Khomeini Hosseiniyeh in Tehran.

Raeisi garnered almost 62 percent of the votes in the June 18 presidential election with a turnout of 48.8 percent.

Following Raeis�s election victory, Chinese President Xi Jinping extended his felicitations and described Iran and China as "comprehensive strategic partners."

"I attach great importance to the development of China-Iran relations," Xi said, expressing his willingness to work with Raeisi in order to strengthen strategic communication, consolidate mutual political trust, and expand mutually beneficial cooperation.

Elsewhere in her statement, Hua hailed the traditional friendship between Tehran and Beijing and called for deepening of bilateral relations.

"China and Iran are comprehensive strategic partners. China attaches great importance to developing bilateral relations and stands ready to work with Iran to take the opportunity of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year to elevate bilateral relations to a new level," she said.

Back in March, Iran and China signed a 25-year comprehensive strategic partnership agreement to strengthen their long-standing economic and political alliance.

LINK: https://www.ansarpress.com/english/23465

*	NAME
*	COMMENT
4 DIGITS BELOW
*

	Israel launches missile attack on outskirts of Damascus, killing Syrian civilians
	Ukraine beset by $40m fraud in arms procurement amid war with Russia
	US approves sale of F-16 jets to Turkey after Ankara ratifies Sweden�s NATO membership
	UNSC to meet to discuss ICJ ruling on Israeli genocide in Gaza
	Gaza�s major health facility collapses amid Israeli attacks: MSF
	Americans to redeploy nuclear weapons in UK amid fears of WW3
	Yemen directly hits US warship with ballistic missile
	Turkish lawmakers open debate over Sweden�s NATO membership
	Palestinian Islamic Jihad: Al-Maghazi operation proved defeat of Israeli regime in Gaza war
	Pakistan Army Kills Seven �Terrorists� Near Afghan Border