#Newspaper
When China Met Iran
//China and Iran had come to the verge of signing a 25-year trade and military partnership agreement that promises to bring a huge Chinese presence into Iran’s economic development, in exchange for a regular supply of heavily discounted Iranian oil.
//This potential partnership threatens the United States’s predominant position in the Middle East, the reaction in Iran and China themselves was also hardly ebullient. The deal was referred to as a new Treaty of Turkmenchay by critics of Iran’s beleaguered president while a Chinese government spokesman dodged inquiries. China’s partnership with Iran in recent years which includes buying Iranian oil in small quantities at a steep discount and crowding out Iranian domestic producers with low-cost imports has also been unhelpful in engendering affection.
//China has been quietly expanding its economic, diplomatic, and even military activities in the region in recent years. Beijing motives are straightforward but varied as it seeks to advance its powers and establish itself in the eyes of the world. Chinese leaders are however aware that few of the great powers have emerged unscathed from Middle East adventures with the region’s deep political fissures, which poses a risk for a China that aims to be a friend of everyone.
//Coincidently, the leak of the China-Iran agreement roughly coincided with the biannual China-Arab States Cooperation Forum early this month, which prompted numerous proclamations of Chinese friendship with Iran’s Arab rivals.
//Nonetheless, the China-Iran relationship is still likely to grow closer in the coming years as China tries to project power westward and Iran seeks to insulate itself from the debilitating effects of American power.
//The United States should then, at every step, aim to exacerbate the conundrums each party faces and enlist regional partners.
Full Article: The New York Times, (21-Jul)
https://nyti.ms/3ir29l6
#ChinaIranRelations #globalpolitics #ChinaUSRelations #Iran
When China Met Iran
//China and Iran had come to the verge of signing a 25-year trade and military partnership agreement that promises to bring a huge Chinese presence into Iran’s economic development, in exchange for a regular supply of heavily discounted Iranian oil.
//This potential partnership threatens the United States’s predominant position in the Middle East, the reaction in Iran and China themselves was also hardly ebullient. The deal was referred to as a new Treaty of Turkmenchay by critics of Iran’s beleaguered president while a Chinese government spokesman dodged inquiries. China’s partnership with Iran in recent years which includes buying Iranian oil in small quantities at a steep discount and crowding out Iranian domestic producers with low-cost imports has also been unhelpful in engendering affection.
//China has been quietly expanding its economic, diplomatic, and even military activities in the region in recent years. Beijing motives are straightforward but varied as it seeks to advance its powers and establish itself in the eyes of the world. Chinese leaders are however aware that few of the great powers have emerged unscathed from Middle East adventures with the region’s deep political fissures, which poses a risk for a China that aims to be a friend of everyone.
//Coincidently, the leak of the China-Iran agreement roughly coincided with the biannual China-Arab States Cooperation Forum early this month, which prompted numerous proclamations of Chinese friendship with Iran’s Arab rivals.
//Nonetheless, the China-Iran relationship is still likely to grow closer in the coming years as China tries to project power westward and Iran seeks to insulate itself from the debilitating effects of American power.
//The United States should then, at every step, aim to exacerbate the conundrums each party faces and enlist regional partners.
Full Article: The New York Times, (21-Jul)
https://nyti.ms/3ir29l6
#ChinaIranRelations #globalpolitics #ChinaUSRelations #Iran
NY Times
When China Met Iran
A growing partnership between America’s main Middle East adversary and Asia’s rising superpower bears careful watching in Washington.