Beijing’s envoy: China backs Iran’s bid to join BRICS

“We support Iran’s request to become a member of the BRICS organization, although other members must also agree on this issue, said Chang Hua in an interview with ISNA news agency.

The Chinese diplomat also referred to Beijing’s mediation efforts that facilitated the normalization of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March, following seven years of severed ties between the two Middle East neighbors.

“From our point of view, this is a success of peace and dialog, and we witnessed a breeze of peace in the region in the wake of the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” said the diplomat.

Chang highlighted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Global Security Initiative, which seeks to help resolve disputes through dialog.

“In fact, the restoration of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is a successful act based on the initiative. China is willing to follow this initiative to improve peace and stability in the region,” the ambassador added.

BRICS, which now consists of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is considering expanding its membership, and a growing number of countries have expressed interest in joining.