Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh announced on Saturday that Tehran and Beijing are set to increase their cooperation in the energy sector after the western sanctions imposed against Iran are removed.

"Iran and China will increase their cooperation in the energy sector after the sanctions are lifted," Zanganeh told reporters in Beijing according to Fars New Agency on Saturday.

The Iranian oil minister noted that Tehran is willing to increase cooperation with China in the energy sector, specially in the oil industry.

He reiterated that China’s Sinopec and CNPC (China National Petroleum Corporation) are currently working in Iran's Khuzestan province, and said, "I hope that the two countries will redefine their cooperation in the new phase to lay new grounds for enhancing their overall cooperation in the energy sector.

Zanganeh is in China to pave the way for the further development of Tehran-Beijing energy ties.

The Iranian oil minister is accompanied by his deputy for international affairs and trading Amir-Hossein Zamaninia and Director for international affairs of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) Mohsen Qamsari.

Iran is currently China's third largest supplier of crude, providing Beijing with roughly 12 percent of its total annual oil consumption.
Source: MENA