On May 23, 2011, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi met with his visiting Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi in Beijing.

During the meeting, Yang praised the smooth development of bilateral relations in recent years, noting that friendly cooperation in all areas has made positive progress. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of China-Iran diplomatic ties, said Yang, adding China will work with Iran to push forward the development of bilateral relations. Salehi said Iran attaches great importance to developing ties with China and is willing to take the opportunity of the 40th anniversary to further expand bilateral friendly cooperation.

Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern including the Iranian nuclear issue and the situation in west Asia and north Africa.