Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif in Beijing for talks

BEIJING – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is meeting with his Chinese counterpart in Beijing following a surprise visit to the Group of Seven summit in France.

Zarif held talks with Wang Yi on Monday afternoon at a state guesthouse in western Beijing.

China has been a close Iranian economic partner and is among the signatories to the 2015 nuclear accord, which has been unraveling since President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. out of the agreement.

Zarif made a five-hour visit Sunday to the seaside resort of Biarritz, where he met with Macron and French, German and British diplomats.

His visit to Beijing comes amid heightened tensions between China and the U.S. over their spiraling trade dispute and unrest in Hong Kong that Beijing accuses Washington of encouraging or even directing.