Speaking to reporters upon his arrival in Beijing on Monday, Zarif said Iran is determined to work with China as a “strategic partner.”

“We try to raise the economic relations between the two countries to a strategic level,” he added.

The foreign minister also pointed to his accompanying delegation as a distinguishing feature of his trip, saying it is comprised of business people, entrepreneurs, and representatives from 18 knowledge-based companies.

The top Iranian diplomat is in China as the second leg of an Asian tour that took him earlier to India for the 6th conference of the ‘Heart of Asia-Istanbul Process’.

He will pay a visit to Japan after high-profile meetings in China.