Iranian communications minister in China to discuss bilateral ties

Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Mohammad Hassan Nami arrived in Beijing, China, on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties with senior Chinese officials. The Iranian communications and information technology minister, heading a high-ranking delegation, embarked on a four-day visit to China today. Nami is slated to discuss issues of mutual interest and ways to expand bilateral relations between Tehran and Beijing during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Miao Wei on Monday. Earlier this week, Iranian Ambassador to Beijing Mehdi Safari called for the further expansion of trade ties between Iran and China. The Iranian ambassador to Beijing underlined the need for the further broadening of ties between China and Iran. 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.