China Expected to Lay Ground for Multilateral World

Speaking to Chinese CCTV on a visit to the East Asian superpower to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), President Pezeshkian said that "China is a country with a united, cohesive, decisive and coordinated leadership, and is rapidly developing."

"This country has completely scientific, expert, and targeted development plans," the president said, adding that "this political process is also a very good and positive step towards getting away from unilateralism and going towards multilateralism."

"If we are supposed to get away from unilateralism, we must fundamentally act on the frameworks that were just written and signed at this summit. The US and those in power want to implement their policy in the region through the exercise of force and sanctions. Through all the means and tools they know how to use, they will not allow countries to get away from the framework they have created."

"If we want to get out of this framework, we must put into practice what we wrote in the previous and future meetings, that we will change our behavior in the face of unilateralism. This means interaction, trade, and not listening to their words about sanctions," Pezeshkian further asserted.

"We must observe justice, fairness, and the law among ourselves and other countries, and try to share development with the entire world," he later said, adding that "China, which has now taken the lead in such thinking and policy, is expected to pave the way for such lofty goals."

"The US biggest rival in the policies it has formulated is China. It (Washington) says it can stand up to others with force, weapons, and threats or sanctions," he added.

"If countries cooperate within the framework of the [Chinese] Belt and Road Initiative, global development and peace will be achieved," he said elsewhere.