Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Thursday that his country stands ready to work with relevant parties to hammer out a fair, balanced and all-win agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue.

He made the remarks in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, during which the Chinese president welcomed the recent framework deal Iran reached with the so-called P5+1 countries.

The consensus marked a positive step toward the conclusion of a comprehensive accord, Xi said, adding that Beijing will continue to play a constructive role in the negotiations.

On bilateral ties, Xi stressed that China attaches great importance to developing ties with Iran, and suggested that the two sides maintain high-level contact and exchanges in various fields, so as to enhance strategic mutual trust.

Xi called for broader practical cooperation between China and Iran, with the Belt and Road initiatives as the hub, and inter-connectivity and industrial cooperation as spokes.

China, he said, is ready to launch long-term and stable energy cooperation with Iran, and expand bilateral cooperation in such areas as high-speed railway, road, building materials, textile, telecommunication, electricity and engineering machinery, so as to dovetail the two countries' advantageous industries, fine resources and strong markets.

In addition, the Chinese president called for efforts to enhance mutual understanding between the Chinese and Iranian peoples with the aim of deepening their friendship.

For his part, Rouhani said that Iran and China enjoy a lasting friendship, and that Iran is ready to deepen cooperation and communication with China in various sectors.

Noting that developing countries in Asia and Africa, including China and Iran, face similar missions and challenges in economic and social development, Rouhani said Iran hopes to expand cooperation with China in infrastructure sectors such as energy, science and technology, railway and port.

Iran, he added, cherishes the progress made in the nuclear talks and hopes that all parties will fully observe the recently clinched consensus, so as to ensure the signing of a comprehensive deal.

Early this month, diplomats from Iran and the P5+1 group -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany -- agreed on the parameters to complete a final deal by June 30.

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