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China is strengthening its relations with Iran. Tehran now announces that it wants to agree on a strategic partnership for 25 years. It's about more than just trading.
China is strengthening its relations with Iran. Tehran now announces that it wants to agree on a strategic partnership for 25 years. It's about more than just trading.
Iran claims to have agreed a long-term strategic partnership with China. Both countries are negotiating a 25-year agreement, said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Sarif in the Tehran parliament.
China is Iran's main trading partner and was a key market for Iranian oil exports before they slumped due to US sanctions.With the announcement, Sarif ended days of speculation about his country's negotiations with another state.
Former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad criticized in late June that the government was secretly holding talks on a 25-year deal with another country. Sarif rejected the allegation. There was "nothing secret about the negotiations," he emphasized on Sunday.
Citizens would be informed as soon as an agreement was signed. The project was already announced at the beginning of 2016 when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Tehran. At that time there was talk of a 25-year cooperation and mutual investments in the areas of
transport, energy, industry and services. China also helped the country in the Corona crisis, which hit Iran hard. For example, tens of thousands of test kits and 250,000 breathing masks were delivered.
According to the journal "International Politics and Society", Iran also plays an important role in China's foreign policy strategy "New Silk Road". So far, Pakistan is the most important partner country - a direct neighbor of Iran.
Chinese companies are already active in the country, working on major projects such as railroad lines. Something is also happening militarily. For example, Tehran granted China overflying rights for military aircraft, and Beijing is one of the largest suppliers of armaments.
The huge country is increasing its influence in the region at the expense of western states. In the UN Security Council, China recently also campaigned for Iran together with Russia. The US had called for an arms embargo to be extended in October.
The two powers had rejected this. Both countries, like Germany, France and the UK, are also sticking to the nuclear deal with Iran that US President Donald Trump resigned in 2018.
As a result, he again imposed sanctions on the country and also punished companies that were involved in the country.
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