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The China-Iran Strategic Partnership: 40 Years in the Making

The Iran-Iraq war kickstarted the China-Iran partnership. Understanding that history

provides valuable context for the relationship today.

By Satgin Hamrah* and Alexander Eliasen**

December 04, 2021

The China-Iran Strategic Partnership: 40 Years in the Making

The Middle East continues to be one of the most dynamic regions of the world as it undergoes economic, geopolitical, and security changes influencing not only countries in the Persian Gulf, but also global powers that are vying for influence. Relations between Iran and China are key drivers in the changes currently underway.

Cooperation between these two nations is not new and has been developing in its current context since the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Their pragmatic friendship took root during this war, establishing the foundation for a partnership that today is strengthening Iran’s economic and regional position and gives China a strategic foothold in the Middle East. With China’s growing influence in Africa and East Asia, its enhanced position in the Middle East adds another dimension to its challenge to U.S. hegemony and its global reach.

China’s growing influence, coupled with its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), have major strategic implications as Beijing seeks to link its economic, geostrategic and security interests. Nowhere is this more evident than in its relationship with Iran, as it helps China enhance its points of interest and link the Middle East, Central, and South Asia together. It also gives Iran a much-needed boost to its worrying economic situation as its population continues to grapple with financial and public health challenges. The growth of the China-Iran relationship established during the Iran-Iraq War will not only reshape the political landscape of the Middle East, it will also strengthen each government’s position within their respective country.

How this was done is very important. China’s pragmatic post-Maoist leaders used the Iran-Iraq War to enter the international arms market and cultivated strategic diplomatic relations with key regional players. However, its reach extended beyond the arms market, especially with Iran, as Beijing established the groundwork for a longterm relationship. Interestingly, while the Chinese government had expressed concern over the Iran-Iraq War and stated China’s strict neutrality with the conflict, Beijing also strategically utilized the war to its advantage, maintaining relationships with both sides as it lay the foundation for its later endeavors. This approach allowed China to develop relationships with both Iran and Iraq.

China-Iran relations were also essential from an economic perspective, their trade relationship was so extensive that Iran became China’s number one trading partner in the entire Middle East. This mutually beneficial relationship was extremely important for Iran as it grappled with issues related to the war and other economic and political challenges.

Given their 40-plus year relationship, China and Iran believe in the strength and durability of their partnership and sustained cooperation working toward their mutual interests. While rapprochement between the two countries grew gradually out of wartime necessity and economic needs, their increased diplomatic ties helped foster a strategic relationship that today is vividly clear in Iran’s recently-approved bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the 25-year strategic agreement between Iran and China, and Iran’s participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Each aspect of this agreement is directly linked to the goals and strategic intentions of Xi Jinping’s BRI, as Iran’s centrality in the Middle East and political power in the region will prove vital to the initiative’s success. In its current state, the China-Iran partnership is integral to both sides: to China, it represents the progression of the BRI in the Middle East, and to Iran it is the key to the success of a heavily sanctioned Iranian economy.

Some Iranians have been cautious in their view of Iran’s relationship with China, arguing that it is more beneficial to China than Iran. Some have gone further, equating it with the 1813 Treaty of Gulistan and 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay, under which Iran ceded parts of its territory in the Caucasus to Russia. These treaties have become a symbol of defeat to many Iranians. Nonetheless, Iran’s relationship with China, including the recent cooperation agreement is a win for Iran. It will likely strengthen the country on multiple levels, including its negotiations with the U.S. and others in the long term.

Given the extension and scale of influence that this relationship has on Iran, China, and the region it is important to understand its modern context. Unpacking the influence of the Iran-Iraq War on current trends and Iran’s and China’s long game, is an important facet in developing a comprehensive conceptual framework of the current landscape.

*Satgin Hamrah is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at Tufts University and the founder of the Iran-Iraq War Project. Her regions of focus are the Middle East and South Asia, and her research areas include Islamism, sectarianism, state and non--state conflict and violence.

**Alexander Eliasen is a graduate of Tufts University with a B.A. in International Relations. Currently, he works in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Disponível em: https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/

the-china-iran-strategic-partnership-40-years-in-the-

-making/; Acesso em: 18 Jan 2022 (adaptado)

ESPM 2022 - QUESTÃO 45

In the third paragraph, when the article mentions the growing influence of China, it says: “Nowhere is this more evident than in its relationship with Iran (...).

This sentence contains an inversion of the standard position of ‘subject + verb’ to ‘verb + subject’. Identify below the phrase that DOES NOT USE the same syntactic structure:

a) Never has he committed such a heinous crime.

b) Down the stairs came the prime-minister.

c) Only after entering the room did she realize that she was in danger.

d) Times have changed and so have we.

e) Who is responsible for the organization of the event?

QUESTÃO ANTERIOR:

- The expression ‘in the making’ in the title of the article points to

GABARITO:

e) Who is responsible for the organization of the event?

RESOLUÇÃO:

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PRÓXIMA QUESTÃO: