TEHRAN, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Allameh Tabataba'i University in Tehran established the country's first China Study Center on Sunday in cooperation with China's Shanghai International Studies University.
Behzad Shahandeh, professor of China Study from Tehran University, was invited to attend the opening ceremony.
Shahandeh paid his first visit to Beijing in 1978, which became the beginning of his academic career.
He stressed in a speech that China was the first country that did not follow the Western model of modernization.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Kazem Sajjadpour said that Iran and China keep good ties, and promoting the relationship with China in all aspects is crucial for Iran.
President of Allameh Tabataba'i University Hossein Salimi said that his university had a close partnership with Shanghai International Studies University, and Iran's first China Study Center is a "milestone."
Zhang Feng, vice president of Shanghai International Studies University, said that the university will also establish a new Iran Study Center through cooperation with Allameh Tabataba'i.
The two centers "will serve as a platform for cultural communication and academic dialogue," Zhang added.
