Iranian Navy Commodore Hossein Khanzadi, who is currently in Beijing at the invitation of the country's Navy Commander, Shen Jinlong, has stated that the two states can develop deeper cooperation in the naval sphere, Tasnim news agency reported.
"There are very good capacities for military cooperation between the navies of the two countries and we hope that this trip will lead to many achievements in this regard", he said.
Khanzadi reportedly considered increasing cooperation between Iran and China at sea, in education, and in various technical military spheres.
The two countries have long been close partners in various fields, including the military. Many types of domestically-produced Iranian weaponry, such as air defence systems, naval missiles, armoured vehicles, artillery and small arms, are based on Chinese models. The two signed an agreement to boost defence cooperation in November 2016.
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The two states also have close ties in the energy sphere despite US sanctions, imposed by Washington in November 2018 on Tehran. China's CNPC recently replaced French energy company Total in an Iranian gas project, after the latter left due to US sanctions.