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Indeed, military relations between Iran and China have developed significantly since Rouhani took office in 2013, especially after the 2015 nuclear deal. Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan first visited Beijing in May 2014 and signed a military cooperation agreement. Tehran and Beijing have also signed an agreement to jointly fight terrorism. Much of the vision for such cooperation was laid out during President Xi`s state visit to Tehran in January 2016. The two states then agreed to expand trade to $600 billion over a 10-year period, while creating closer cooperation under a 25-year plan. [8] Iranian pre-summit Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi officially signed the cooperation agreement on Saturday. Hua Liming, China`s former ambassador to Iran, said the deal marked a “significant change” in China`s relations with Tehran. The two countries had cordial relations and both participated in a joint naval exercise with Russia in the northern Indian Ocean in 2019. Wang also met with Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to Iran`s Supreme Leader, who said, “Iran independently decides its relations with other countries and is not like some countries that change their position with a phone call.” Iran and China have been conducting joint military exercises, most recently with Russia in the Indian Ocean in February, and have been cooperating on intelligence issues for years, with Tehran allegedly providing Beijing with sensitive information about US drones and human spy networks. Iran refused to do so, and China backed it, demanding that the US act first to revive the deal it broke by lifting unilateral sanctions that stifled Iran`s economy. China was one of five world powers that, along with the United States, signed the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. The expansion of military support, training and intelligence sharing will also be viewed with concern in Washington.
U.S. warships are already regularly entangled with Iranian forces in the crowded waters of the Persian Gulf, challenging China`s internationally disputed claim to much of the South China Sea, and the Pentagon`s national security strategy has declared China an adversary. The projects – nearly 100 mentioned in the draft treaty – are in line with Mr. Xi to extend its economic and strategic influence to all of Eurasia through the Belt and Road Initiative, a major aid and investment program. The project aims to significantly expand China`s economic and political influence and has raised concerns in the United States. And yet, the desirable political and symbolic value for Tehran to be able to join groups such as the SCO should not be underestimated. Since the emergence of the Islamic Republic in 1979, Iran has repeatedly failed to join a collective body capable of facilitating its diplomatic and economic needs in a significant way. From the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) to the Non-Aligned Movement, Iran`s experience with multilateral efforts has been disappointing in most cases. And Tehran`s recent experience of economic isolation due to its nuclear program has only increased its appetite for integration into collective bodies that could protect it from Western punitive measures in the future. The Chinese also view Iran as a country that is nevertheless largely outside of regional economic and security alliances.
This is a problem that Beijing seems to promise to help solve through projects like the BRI. The recent announcement of a $400 billion strategic deal over 25 years between Tehran and Beijing must be seen in this context. After Xi first proposed the strategic deal during his visit in 2016, negotiations on its completion were initially slow. Iran had just struck a deal with the United States and other countries to ease economic sanctions in exchange for strict restrictions on its nuclear research activities, and European companies began pouring into Iran with investments and offers of joint partnerships to develop oil and gas fields. Iranian supporters of the strategic partnership say that given the country`s limited economic options, the currency`s free fall and the bleak prospects for lifting U.S. sanctions, the deal with China could be a lifeline. The foreign ministers of the two countries, Javad Zarif and Wang Yi, signed the agreement on Saturday at a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry in Tehran, according to Iran`s semi-official Fars news agency. This concluded a two-day visit by Mr. Wang that reflected China`s growing ambition to play a greater role in a region that has been a strategic concern of the United States for decades. The deal signed in Tehran is expected to boost bilateral trade and military cooperation as U.S.
rivals deepen their relations. The 25-year iran-China deal, which made headlines last month, is far from new. It was first announced in 2016 during a state visit by President Xi Jinping to Tehran, at a time when sanctions against Iran were lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear deal. Chinese and Iranian officials have since worked out the details of the deal in a slow process of consultation and negotiation. “By allowing or encouraging Chinese companies to engage in sanctionable activities with the Iranian regime, the Chinese government is undermining its own stated goal of promoting stability and peace.” Those opportunities evaporated after Mr Trump pulled the US out of the deal and imposed new sanctions that the Europeans feared would entangle them and force Iran to look east. Lord. Zarif said the deal would be submitted to parliament for final approval. He has the support of Iran`s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two Iranian officials said. President Biden has offered to resume negotiations with Iran over the 2015 nuclear deal, which his predecessor, President Donald J.
Trump, canceled three years after it was signed. U.S. officials say the two countries can take synchronized steps to bring Iran into compliance with the terms of the deal as the U.S. gradually lifts sanctions. China and Iran will inevitably continue to establish closer ties, especially in the economic field. While Iran and China have similar views on the international order (anti-US hegemony, emphasis on sovereignty), given the risky business environment (and the threat of sanctions) and Iran`s propensity to engage in a troubling interventionist policy in the Middle East, China is likely to be reluctant to get too involved in Iran. Hungry for energy and economically recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, China is already importing more Iranian oil than any other country in the world – despite piercing US sanctions that hamper almost all trade with Iran. As with Tehran`s ongoing talks with the Russians, Iran should weigh in on the idea of giving the Chinese military access to its air and naval facilities. It should also be remembered that Iran and China are now almost united on some key issues in the Middle East, including support for the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. [4] saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-china-sign-security-cooperation-pact/ The Republic of China and the Imperial State of Iran officially established diplomatic relations in 1937. In 1971, Iran recognized the People`s Republic of China (ruled by the Chinese Communist Party) as the only legitimate government of China and also revoked the recognition of the Republic of China (with its Kuomintang government now based in Taiwan) as a state.
In the early years of the Cold War, Iran and the People`s Republic of China were on either side of the Iron Curtain, with Iran being part of the US-led Western bloc since the 1953 coup and China being part of the Soviet-led Eastern bloc until its breakup in 1961, siding with the Western bloc until the end of the Cold War. Right and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi pose for photos on Saturday after the signing ceremony in Tehran, Iran. | Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo Iran did not make public the details of the deal before it was signed, and the Chinese government did not provide details. But experts said it was largely unchanged from an 18-page draft obtained by the New York Times last year. Further details of the deal were not disclosed as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi attended a ceremony to celebrate the event. Iran and China on Saturday signed a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement that addresses economic issues amid crippling U.S. sanctions on Iran, state television reported. Kazakhstan is the leader among the five Central Asian states in terms of connectivity to Iran, when it comes to connecting to global markets through Iranian ports. In December 2014, a 925 km long railway line connecting Kazakhstan to Turkmenistan and Iran was inaugurated.
“Iran is trying to signal that it has partners, even in times of tension and difficulty. At the same time, it is an attempt by Iran to catch up with other countries. This is no sign that Iran and China will have a unique and expansive relationship. “The agreement is important. Timing is important,” said Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, a London-based analyst and economic development specialist focused on Iran and Central Asia. The partnership, detailed in an 18-page New York Times deal proposal, would significantly expand China`s presence in banking, telecommunications, ports, railroads and dozens of other projects. In return, China would receive a steady — and sharply reduced — supply of Iranian oil over the next 25 years, according to an Iranian official and an oil trader. “Since the Carter administration, the United States has often reminded China of its relations with Iran, which was seen by Americans as an obstacle to U.S.-China relations,” he told the South China Morning Post. . . .