China and Iran are pledging to improve relations

Iran President Hassan Rouhani and Chinese President Xi Jinping
(Image credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Iran on Friday night, becoming the first world leader to do so since international sanctions were lifted from the country Jan. 16 in accordance with the nuclear deal. The visit to Iran marks the first for a Chinese president in more than a decade, BBC News reports.

On Saturday, Xi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and was set to talk with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Reuters reports. Xi was expected to sign 16 accords paving the way for improving ties between the two nations on everything from energy to trade.

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Julie Kliegman

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.