Iran has signalled “unprecedented” commitment to its ties with China by appointing a veteran of peace talks with the US as its emissary to Beijing, a move experts say also underscored China’s rise as a “third space” where Middle East powers could quietly negotiate.

Tehran has made Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the country’s parliament, its special envoy to oversee the country’s relationship with China, according to a Sunday report by Iran’s semi-official Tasnim News Agency.

His appointment was revealed only days after US President Donald Trump paid a state visit to Beijing, where the war in Iran was high on the agenda.

The responsibilities of Ghalibaf’s new role “differ in their level of authority” compared to previous representatives, the Tasnim report said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The appointment was proposed by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and supported by Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Tasnim.

Niu Xinchun, executive director of the China-Arab Research Institute at Ningxia University, said the appointment showed Iran was placing “unprecedented” importance on its relationship with China.

“He is likely a figure who can represent Iran and is acceptable to all domestic political factions … Having him [appointed to this position] shows the immense importance Iran currently attaches to its relations with China,” the scholar said.