Ahmadinejad will be attending Expo Shanghai 2010, but will also meet top Chinese officials to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme, the threat of sanctions and a fuel swap deal for a Tehran research reactor brokered by Brazil and Turkey last month, Iranian state television reported on Monday.
His visit to Security Council veto-wielding permanent member China takes on particular significance as a vote on a new sanctions package looms after the United States introduced a draft resolution last month.
China, which has emerged in recent years as Iran’s main trading partner, continues to insist on diplomacy to resolve the standoff over Tehran’s nuclear programme but US officials say they have Beijing’s support for the sanctions resolution.