Amid China's opposition to unilateral sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says China can play a more effective role, Press TV reported.
"China can play a more significant and effective role concerning Iran's nuclear issue," IRNA quote Larijani as saying in a meeting with Li Changchun, a senior Chinese Communist Party (CPC) official in the Iranian capital if Tehran on Tuesday.
The Iranian official downplayed the impact of the US-engineered sanctions on Iran, saying, "If certain international powers think that Iran will change its path in its right to possess peaceful nuclear technology, they are mistaken."
Larijani said Iran will never give up its legitimate nuclear rights and reiterated that such powers should address the Iranian nation in a different tone and demeanor.
The Chinese official, for his part, said his country is firmly committed to continued amicable relations with the Iranian nation in all fields.
Li also repeated China's support for the Islamic Republic's right to access nuclear technology for peaceful aims.
"Beijing is strongly opposed to any sanctions beyond international regulations and believes that holding negotiations is the only solution to the dispute over Iran's nuclear case," he said.
The Chinese official also noted that Iran and China enjoy common views on global issues and emphasized the importance of bolstering bilateral cooperation in various international scenes.
"Cooperation between Iran and China can play an important role in establishing a multi-polar and balanced world," Li said.
China, a long-time energy partner of Iran, voted in favor of the fourth round of the US-engineered sanctions against Tehran at the UN Security Council in June.
However, Beijing strongly condemned further measures by the US and the European Union to impose additional unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic, calling for a diplomatic solution to the West's nuclear standoff with Iran.
"We don't approve of unilateral sanctions on Iran. We hope relevant parties can stick to the direction of diplomatic resolution and seek an effective resolution through dialogue and negotiations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at the time.