TEHRAN – The Chinese embassy in Tehran hosted members of the Iran-China Friendship Association for dinner on Monday after the Chinese envoy, Cong Peiwu, met with the association’s secretary, Mehdi Naadi, and discussed bilateral ties for about 45 minutes. 

The embassy told journalists covering the event that it was merely a reception and that several more meetings and gatherings are planned for the coming months. After Cong’s private discussions with senior members of the association concluded, the crowd of several dozen Iranian citizens listened to the envoy and the secretary speak separately but harmoniously about the potential for stronger cooperation between Iran and China.

Friendship associations can be either governmental or non-governmental organizations (NGOs), depending on their structure, purpose, and funding. In China, many such associations, including the one related to Iran, have been established by the government as part of its diplomatic and cultural outreach efforts. However, the Tehran-based Iran-China Friendship Association was founded in the 1980s by a group of ordinary young Iranians who had returned to Iran after completing their secondary education in China.

Esmaeil Khazayi was one of these young Iranians. Now in his 60s, he went to China at age 18 to study medicine and spent 13 years in Beijing before returning to Iran as a urologist. “Nowadays, thousands of Iranian students study in China. But back then, I believe there were only about ten Iranian students there. I and four others joined the five students who had arrived before us, making us the second group of university students to ever study in China,” he explained.

Khazayi said that over the past decades, ties between Iranians and Chinese have only grown stronger. “Back then, there were few foreigners in China, and the country had not yet opened up to the world as it has now. The sight of West Asian foreigners was unusual to the Chinese people. But nowadays, whenever I visit China, I experience openness and friendliness from the people. It is amazing how much China has developed in such a relatively short time.”

The event was held in honor of the 54th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Iran and China. The two ancient countries, however, have maintained cordial relations and engaged in trade for at least 2,000 years.

When speaking with various members of the Iran-China Friendship Association, many expressed a wish to receive the same level of support from the Iranian government that their Chinese counterparts enjoy. The association’s secretary, Naadi, who after his meeting with the envoy shared his admiration for the ambassador’s “knowledge and depth”, said there are many ways the Iranian government could utilize the association.

“Members of the association are all professionals who have built their careers over many years. Their affinity for China stems both from their positive personal experiences there and from the benefits they believe close cooperation with China can bring to Iran.”

Naadi claimed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the association helped facilitate negotiations that enabled Iran to quickly import millions of doses of vaccines from China. “There are many other ways we can assist officials. We will not hesitate to do anything that serves Iran’s national interests.”

Besides China’s envoy, the country’s military and political attachés also attended Monday’s event. They did not give interviews to journalists but spent most of the time engaging with the guests. Near the end of the event, the ambassador himself shared his thoughts about the evening and the association with the Tehran Times.

“I was very impressed by the insightful ideas of our friends at the Iran-China Friendship Association,” Cong asserted. “Our discussions tonight made us look forward to advancing cooperation between the two countries.”

I asked the ambassador why the embassy feels the need to emphasize ties with an NGO when the governments of Iran and China already have a close relationship. He replied, “People-to-people interactions are always very important. They help the people of both countries gain a better understanding of the situation and build mutual trust. We always value such efforts and believe that, alongside diplomatic exchanges, they should be strengthened to make the ties even friendlier.”