Tehran – 9 July 2026
The Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), Dr. Asad M. Khan, met with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Iran, H.E. Cong Peiwu, at the Chinese Embassy in Tehran today to discuss opportunities for deepening cooperation between the ECO Region and China.
Thanking Ambassador Cong for receiving him, Secretary General Khan expressed both his personal and institutional desire to build a strong and enduring relationship with China, emphasizing that the country is a key neighbor, investor, and trading partner for the entire region, sharing borders with five of the ECO’s ten member states.
While recalling his participation in the SCO Plus Summit in Tianjin on the invitation of the Chinese government, the Secretary General conveyed ECO’s readiness to further deepen its engagement with China.
A key theme of the meeting was the potential for collaborative partnership in the transport sector. Briefing the Ambassador on ECO’s connectivity projects, the Secretary General proposed that China and ECO synchronize their connectivity initiatives to maximize efficiency and impact. He further noted that plans are underway for organizing an international conference on financing ECO transport corridors, likely to be held alongside the 14th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Transport, jointly with the ECO Trade and Development Bank.
In his remarks, Ambassador Cong thanked the Secretary General and highlighted the importance of ECO for China, noting that ECO’s invitation to the SCO Summit in 2025 underscores this strategic value. He emphasized the importance of connectivity against the current international landscape and expressed a strong desire to boost trade.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to staying in touch and pledged to build on today’s discussions through further follow-up and coordination.
