Chinese President Xi Jinping said that his country stands ready to work with relevant parties to hammer out a fair, balanced and all-win agreement on the Iranian nuclear issue.

He made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, during which the Chinese leader welcomed the recent framework deal Iran reached with the P5+1 group of major world powers, Xinhua news agency reported.

The consensus marked a positive step toward the conclusion of a comprehensive accord, Xi said, adding that Beijing would continue to play a constructive role in the negotiations.

On bilateral ties, Xi stressed that China attached great importance to developing ties with Iran, and suggested that the two sides maintain high-level contact and exchanges in various fields, so as to enhance strategic mutual trust.

Xi called for broader practical cooperation between China and Iran, with the Silk Belt and Road initiatives as the hub, and inter-connectivity and industrial cooperation as spokes.

China, he said, was ready to launch long-term and stable energy cooperation with Iran, and expand bilateral cooperation in such areas as high-speed railway, road, building materials, textile, telecommunication, electricity and engineering machinery, so as to dovetail the two countries’ advantageous industries, fine resources and strong markets.

In addition, Xi called for efforts to enhance mutual understanding between the Chinese and Iranian peoples with the aim of deepening their friendship.

On his part, Rouhani said that Iran and China enjoyed a lasting friendship, and that Iran was ready to deepen cooperation and communication with China in various sectors.

Noting that developing countries in Asia and Africa, including China and Iran, faced similar missions and challenges in economic and social development, Rouhani said Iran hoped to expand cooperation with China in infrastructure sectors such as energy, science and technology, railway and port.

Iran, he added, cherished the progress made in the nuclear talks and hoped that all parties would fully observe the recently clinched consensus, so as to ensure the signing of a comprehensive deal.

Earlier this month, diplomats from Iran and the P5+1 group — Britain, China, France, Russia, the US plus Germany — agreed on the parameters to complete a final deal by June 30.