Chen Rugui, the mayor of Shenzhen, welcomed Sorena Sattari, the vice president for science and technology affairs, in his travel to China and welcomed the proposal of any scientific and technological cooperation with Iran.

According to the public relations and information center of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, Sorena Sattari, the vice president for science and technology affairs, entered China as the head of a scientific and knowledge-based delegation of Iran.

During the meeting, Chen Rugui pointed out the scientific and technological capacity in the city, stating: Shenzhen has a prominent position in terms of export volume, especially in the field of engineering services. Shenzhen is an innovation-based city that forms the basis of private enterprise creation.

The mayor of Shenzhen mentioned the establishment of large companies such as Huawei in the city, expressing: R&D spending on existing industries is 4.5 percent of the city"s GDP, which is higher than international figures. Shenzhen is known as the Green City because it has the lowest energy and water consumption. Commuting with electric buses and automobiles is a feature of the city.

Chen Rugui appreciated the resistance of Iran to sanctions, affirming: the Chinese president had a trip to Iran in 2016 that strengthened cooperation in many areas between the two countries. China, like Iran, is struggling with sanctions, and we have mobilized all our political, economic, and technological capabilities to succeed.

The mayor of Shenzhen also marked: biotech, fin tech, internet of things and artificial intelligence are rapidly developing in china. The opening of the "china advanced technology exhibition" will showcase the achievements of Chinese companies in these areas. We also welcome any cooperation in various fields of science with Iran.

Iran Has Now Turned into an Innovative Country

During the meeting, Sattari expressed: Shenzhen is an innovative and intelligent city. In Iran, we are pursuing innovation as well, and with the help of young and creative people in our country, the growth of innovation is expanding every day.

Pointing out that Iran has now become an innovative country, Sattari continued: 33 out of 80 million of Iranian population are young people aged 20-40 years, who are the basis of formation of innovation. In addition, five million students is another part of our capacity in this field. Moreover, 90% of Iranians are internet users.

Sattari also declared: therefore, we can claim that half of the Internet users in the Middle East are Iranian, and this has led to the Farsi language becoming the ninth language on the Internet.

Sanctions Improved Domestic Production

The president of the national elites foundation pointed out the nano, bio and IT technologies of Iran, asserting: sanctions have improved domestic production in Iran, in a way that 98% of our drugs are produced inside the country. In addition, the largest startups in the Middle East are Iranian.

Sattari added: these knowledge-based companies are present in two commercial and technology meetings. The first meeting with be held in Shanghai and the second meeting will be held in Shenzhen to find investors and business partners.

According to the vice president, scientific relations of countries are separate from policy. In this regard, he marked: technology communication and collaboration depend on the interactions of individuals and corporate executives with each other, and are a matter of inter-country relationships. Governments only need to help build and strengthen the infrastructure.

“Shenzhen” Can Be the Half-sister of Some Iranian Cities

Sattari also affirmed: Shenzhen can be the half-sister of some Iranian cities. China"s technological development is exemplary for us because Iran is also pursuing an ecosystem of innovation and technology pursuing the liberation of the oil economy. Soon, oil and steel companies will be sidelined by tech companies and make a significant contribution to the economy.

According to the vice president, the trip seeks to strengthen the relationship and cooperation between technology companies in the two countries and to define joint science and technology projects.

In the end, the vice president for science and technology affairs invited the mayor of Shenzhen to visit the scientific and technological capacities of Iran.