China's special envoy to the Middle East, Zhai Jun, visited Iran recently to discuss key developments in the region with high-ranking Iranian officials.
During the Oct. 21 trip, Iranian leaders described relations with China as strategic and called on Beijing to play a more prominent role in the Middle East. They also highlighted the achievements of the so-called "Axis of Resistance" (Iran, Syria and Lebanon’s Hezbollah) in altering the balance of power in the region.