Iran-China 25-year Agreement: Obstacles in their Cooperation

3 March 2022, NIICE Commentary 7676
Alireza Shakiba

On 27 March 2021, Iran’s Former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif signed one of the most important deals for Iran after the 1979 revolution with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Tehran. According to the joint statement between former President Hassan Rouhani and China’s President Xi Jinping on 23 January 2016, they have reached four areas of cooperation. Under the political domain, they agreed to a 25-year cooperation deal. A 25-year cooperation agreement has two main goals for both Iran and China. The deal spoused to strengthen Iran-China economic cooperation, and China will have many significant investment opportunities in Iran.

Meanwhile, the United States and its allies try to keep Iran away from becoming more interconnected with China by rebuilding Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman said that “25-year cooperation is a long-term road map that defines two countries’ cooperation in various economic, political, cultural, and parliamentarian sections.” However, the Iran-China cooperation path has two stumbling blocks in two different areas, which need to take closer observation.

As a security actor in the Middle East and Central Asia, Iran has always tried to enlarge its interests and values in the region. After the Islamic Revolution, Iran’s foreign policy was structured by independence from great powers, support for liberation movements globally, and helping Palestine people against Israel. These values and interests put Iran in the first concern of Western country’s eyes, such as the United States and European countries. This tension between Iran and the West created a tensed situation not only in their political relations but also in cultural, economic, and social relations. Notwithstanding, Iran’s effort against Israel has never changed; it is a clear sign that Iran will always try to act against Israel in the Middle East. It is also clear that Iran’s policy in the Middle East will be a huge concern for China’s economy and growth, especially underneath China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Despite this fact, now it is ambiguous how China wants to react in the Middle East?

Israel will try to make strong cooperation with China in order to keep Iran’s effect on China as low as possible, specifically when Israel saw that the United States – their most reliable great power ally – wants to pay more attention to Southeast Asia. Now Israel’s import from China is more than the United States. China also made a contract with Saudi Arabia to build new missiles in the Saudi Arabia territory, while Iran and Saudi Arabia competes to expand their influence in the region since the last decades.

China’s foreign policy after Mao era toward Middle East countries has always been shaped with mutual respect under their non-intervention policy. They shared to all the countries in the Middle East that Beijing would like to cooperate with all the countries without choosing one against another. Chinese foreign policy and their attitude toward Middle East countries are also obstacles in cooperation between Iran and China.

Iran needs to know how China will respond to the Axis of Resistance movements in the Middle East. China stood in support of Syria by using its Veto in the United Nations Security Council several times. However, on the issue between Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Houthis, China took sides by condemning the region’s war and supporting Saudi Arabia for their security concerns. By and large, China’s foreign policy in the Middle East took a very clear position among all countries. They try to find economic opportunities to expand their relationship with the Middle East, especially with the BRI program. Iran-China relations under this situation may have many faults. For instance, it is ambiguous how long China would stick to this policy in the Middle East. It is not clear whether they are ready to intervene in the Middle East issues. Would Iran be able to change its foreign policy in respect to Middle East countries and China? This is one of the major questions that Iran face today and is going to challenge the Iran-China relations. Hence, the best and only way for China to resolve these issues would be to encourage Iran and Persian Gulf countries to continue their negotiation path to make a more stable region under China’s growing influence.

Alireza Shakiba is a Student of International Relations at Allameh Tabataba’i University, Iran.