Chinese, Iranian foreign ministers criticize intl ‘bullying practices’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has decried international “bullying practices” while meeting with his Iranian counterpart on Tuesday. “We need to stand together against unilateralism and bullying practices,” AP quoted Wang as saying.

Wang also reaffirmed the strength of bilateral relations in opening remarks at the beginning of talks with Mohammad Javad Zarif. The Iranian minister’s visit follows a trip to Russia and comes just after the first-ever drills among the navies of the three countries in the northern part of the Indian Ocean.

Wang said China and Iran would stand up for their national interests as well as “uphold multilateralism and norms governing international relations.” Zarif responded that the two countries were united in “our common effort to fight unilateralism and to promote multilateralism” in 2020.

The 2015 deal between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US lifted sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program. The US withdrew from the accord in 2018 and imposed economic sanctions that block Iran from selling crude oil abroad.