Iranian foreign minister visits Beijing

Iran's foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki arrived in China Thursday to hold two days of talks aimed at deepening ties between China and Iran, state media reported. A Chinese government spokesman said Beijing supported the European initiative to find a solution to Iran's nuclear impasse and that the nuclear question would be one of the issues addressed during talks. It is likely oil and gas will also be on the agenda as China increasingly relies on an Iranian energy supply and several Chinese oil companies plan investments in Iranian oil and gas companies.