BRUSSELS, June 14 -- The European Union appreciates China's continued and active participation in the Iran nuclear deal, and the two parties are working to cooperate and to preserve economic relations with Iran, an EU spokesperson told Xinhua via email on Thursday.

The spokesperson was asked over the EU's attitude towards China's support of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.

China is a party to the JCPOA, which is a multilateral agreement endorsed by a Resolution of the United Nations Security Council, to which China is a permanent member, said the spokesperson.

"China's continued and active participation in the JCPOA is therefore crucial and appreciated, not only by the EU, but by the international community at large. The EU commends China's significant efforts in leading the Arak modernization project," the spokesperson said.

When asked about any cooperation between EU and China in safeguarding the deal, the spokesperson said: "As the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions is aimed at the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran, legitimate business must continue."

"In this respect, the EU and China are already working on avenues to cooperate and to preserve economic relations with Iran. European and Chinese businesses are acting in good faith, and based on commitments made by the international community, as endorsed by the UN Security Council," The spokesperson said.

"EU and Chinese experts cooperate within JCPOA working groups, be it on economic measures or on civil nuclear cooperation, to adopt measures conducive to the preservation of the nuclear deal. To this end, EU and Chinese experts participated in experts meetings in Tehran on 7 June 2018," according to the spokesperson.