A view of Iran Majlis[/caption]TEHRAN (Tasnim) Iranian parliamentarians voted unanimously Wednesday to debate a bill that would make it possible for Iran and China to extradite suspected or convicted criminals.
If passed, the bill will lay the ground for an agreement for the exchange of convicts and criminals between Iran and China, thus promoting judicial cooperation between the two sides.
Relations between Iran and China have dramatically improved in recent years and a large number of Iranians travel to China for tourism or business, said MP Nader Qazipour, who wants to see the treaty in effect soon, arguing Iranians who are convicted in China on various charges prefer to be extradited to their homeland and spend the rest of their term closer to their relatives.
The bill is under debate in the legislature while Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani is now in China for a three-day official visit at the invitation of Chinese Speaker of the National Peoples Congress Zhang Dejiang.
The Iranian speaker is accompanied by deputy mines and industries minister, deputy central bank governor, and some prominent parliament members.
Before leaving Tehran for Beijing on Tuesday, Larijani said Iran has close parliamentary relations with China, the country's first trading partner.
Iran and China have had very broad-scale relations in political, economic, cultural fields and the two countries have many shared viewpoints on major international issues, said the Iranian top parliamentarian.
Over the past few decades, China and Iran have developed a broad and deep partnership centered on China's energy needs and Iran's abundant resources as well as significant non-energy economic ties, and geostrategic balancing in favor of both countries.
China has also shown support, like Russia, for Irans right to have a peaceful nuclear technology, and both countries have abstained from voting in the IAEA Board of Governors and the UNSC against Iran on various occasions.
China and Iran enjoy an extensive economic relationship despite UN Security Council sanctions. The two countries cooperate in various sectors, including energy and construction.
Currently, Iran is the third largest supplier of crude oil to China, providing it with some 12 percent of its total annual consumption, and the volume of bilateral trade is well over $40 billion dollars.
By Tasnim News Agency
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