Iranian envoy calls for expansion of ties with China

Iranian Ambassador to Beijing Mehdi Safari in a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jingping called for the further expansion of ties between Iran and China. During the meeting in the Chinese capital of Beijing, President Xi and Safari explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating bilateral ties. The Iranian ambassador to Beijing underlined the need for the further broadening of ties between China and Iran. The Chinese president said that his country has always pursued establishing friendly ties with other countries. The Chinese president and the Iranian envoy noted that the two countries should increase exchange of visits between their officials. Trade between Iran and China in the past year was estimated at $45 billion. Iran is currently China\'s third largest supplier of crude, providing Beijing with roughly 12 percent of its total annual oil consumption. According to the figures released by China\'s General Administration of Customs in January, China\'s crude oil imports from Iran reached 2.5 million tons (mt) in December 2012, up 43 percent from November. The official data showed that China\'s daily crude imports from Iran in December 2012 also rose 3.6 percent compared to December 2011. It marks China\'s biggest crude import from Iran since it won a renewal of exemption from the United States\' oil embargo against Iran.