China, Middle East set to unleash enormous cooperation potential

For Iran, almost a decade of Western sanctions over its nuclear program has taken a heavy toll on the Islamic Republic. But its industrial system, actually the most complete one in the Middle East, could lay a solid foundation for its cooperation with other countries.

The removal of sanctions could greatly boost Iran's economy, He Wenping, a CASS researcher, observed.

Notably, Xi's visit came only days after concerned parties began the implementation of the Iranian nuclear deal, in which China acted as a key mediator.

Optimistic about Beijing-Tehran cooperation in the post-sanctions era, analysts predicted the two sides would tap their cooperation potential in high-speed railways, aviation, telecommunications, power generation, and industrial and technological parks.

Chinese businesses should seize these opportunities by accelerating cooperation with their Iranian counterparts in major projects, including the Tehran-Isfahan high-speed railway and the China-Iran Industrial Park, Yao said.

(Xinhua reporters Qi Wei, Tamara Treichel and Wang Dier in Beijing, Liu Chang and Ma Yan in Cairo contributed to the story.)