Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun has hosted his Iranian counterpart and other senior defence staff on an advanced Chinese warship days after the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities, while stating “hegemony” is the biggest source of global chaos.
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Iranian Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was among defence chiefs received by Dong on the ship on Wednesday alongside the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) defence ministers meeting in Qingdao, a two-day event that ends on Thursday.
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Nasirzadeh and the other defence chiefs toured the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Type 052D destroyer Kaifeng before attending a reception on its deck, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
On the ship, Nasirzadeh thanked Beijing for “supporting Iran’s legitimate position after recent attacks” from Israel and the US.
“We hope China will continue to stand for justice, help maintain the current ceasefire and play a greater role in easing regional tensions,” he said, according to Xinhua.
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It said Dong addressed the gathered ministers and said “unilateralism, protectionism and acts of hegemony and bullying are surging, severely disrupting the international order and making them the biggest source of chaos and strife”.
