Iran says China on side against fresh sanctions
The United States said this week it would host a meeting of world powers on Sept. 21 to discuss broadening U.N. sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend nuclear activity.
Chinese State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, who serves as a senior foreign policy coordinator, said his country wanted to see Iran and the IAEA cooperate, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
"We hope that all sides will adopt a pragmatic and flexible attitude," Tang told Pourmohammadi, according to Xinhua.
Pourmohammadi said Iran would not bow to pressure.
The Iranian official also stressed Tehran's hopes for stronger economic ties with China, including energy deals and infrastructure projects.
In the first seven months of this year China's goods exports to Iran leapt by 79 percent compared to the same time last year, reaching $4.1 billion, according to Chinese customs statistics.
Iranian exports to China -- a lot of it crude oil -- grew by 31 percent to $7.4 billion.
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