Tehran-Beijing Ties not Affected by Pressures

Iranian president in a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Bishkek on Thursday stressed the two countries’ vast common grounds for mutual cooperation, reiterating that Tehran-Beijing relations would never be influenced by the pressures exerted by other countries.During the meeting, both presidents described the two countries’ relations as profound, friendly and strategic, and called for the further expansion of bilateral ties.

An announcement that Iran had detained two Chinese men for spying went unmentioned in the meeting between President Ahmadinejad and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao.

An Iranian government spokesman said Wednesday the men were detained while taking photo and recording video tape of a military complex in Arak city. He gave few details except that they had entered Iran as tourists and their case was under investigation.

Also during the meeting, Hu told Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that China “understood Iran’s concern over the right to peaceful use of nuclear power.”

Hu said China advocated resolving the issue through peaceful negotiations – a reflection of China’s objections to economic sanctions against Iran being pushed by the United States.

At the summit, Ahmadinejad lashed out at a US missile-defense plan, saying it threatened countries in the Chinese- and Russian-dominated Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a six-nation grouping that has emerged as a powerful bloc countering American interests.

Iran is an observer to the SCO.