Wang met with President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran before the signing. The deal was to include Chinese investment in sectors such as energy and infrastructure. The document was provided to The Times by someone familiar with the project, with the intention of showing the scope of the projects currently under consideration. The deal was first discussed during Chinese President Xi Jinping`s visit to Tehran in 2016, when he met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. But the proposed deal came under heavy scrutiny last summer when an alleged draft of the deal leaked. The documents claim that China was willing to invest $400 million in Iran over the 25-year term of the deal in exchange for unprecedented access to Iranian ports and islands. This, in turn, has triggered fears among Iranians of a loss of sovereignty, where Chinese investment is a sensitive issue. On Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was in Tehran to sign a 25-year partnership agreement between China and Iran. According to a leaked draft, the agreement outlines plans for economic, political and security cooperation between the two countries, which celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations. 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. Wang was in Iran as part of a broader six-country tour of the Middle East, which also included stops in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman. [2] nationalinterest.org/feature/why-iran-india-are-getting-closer-18336 the Petroleum Economist report states that under the agreement, China ”will be able to purchase all Iranian oil, gas and petrochemical products at a guaranteed minimum discount of 12% on the six-month rolling average price of comparable benchmark products, plus an additional 6-8% of this risk-adjusted compensation measure.” The same report added that the deal would allow China to deploy security personnel on the ground in Iran to protect Chinese projects, and that additional personnel and equipment would be available to protect the eventual transit of oil, gas and petrochemical shipments from Iran to China if necessary. including through the Persian Gulf.
[11] Nevertheless, at least the publicity surrounding this Tehran deal is seen as undermining Washington`s argument that Iran is isolated because of the ”maximum pressure” campaign. At best, the 25-year strategic deal between Tehran and Beijing could be Iran`s ”insurance policy” if U.S. sanctions continue and the battle between the U.S. and China escalates. In short, this agreement is not just a piece of Tehran`s propaganda. It was the first time Iran had signed such a long deal with a major world power. In 2001, Iran and Russia signed a 10-year cooperation agreement, mainly in the nuclear field, which was extended to 20 years by two five-year extensions. The deal also includes proposals for China to build the infrastructure for a 5G telecommunications network, offer China`s new global positioning system, Beidou, and help Iranian authorities better control what flows through cyberspace, like like china`s Great Firewall does. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the deal was a ”roadmap” for trade as well as economic and transport cooperation, with a special focus on the private sectors of the two countries. [4] saudigazette.com.sa/saudi-arabia/saudi-arabia-china-sign-security-cooperation-pact/ On March 27, Iran and China signed a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement that addresses economic issues amid crippling U.S.sanctions against Iran, state television reported. At the invitation of His Excellency Mr. Hassan Rouhani, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, His Excellency Mr. Xi Jinping, President of the People`s Republic of China, paid an official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran from 22 to 23 January 2016. In a friendly and cordial atmosphere, the two Heads of State and Government exchanged views on cooperation in all areas of bilateral relations as well as on regional and international issues of mutual interest, thus concluding broad agreements. In other words, there may be fewer than it seems, at least in its current form. Bill Figueroa, a researcher specializing in Sino-Iranian relations, argued in a Twitter feed that the deal was ”not a big deal.” Instead, it is a ”desirable document” that ”offers no method of implementation, measurable objectives or specific programs.” On the defense side in particular, the specific areas of cooperation are ”all the things that already exist,” he noted, and are far within the norm of China`s engagement with other regional powers. The proposed partnership has nonetheless sparked fierce debate in Iran.
Zarif, the foreign minister who travelled to Beijing last October to negotiate the deal, was questioned in a hostile manner in parliament last week. The recent 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement between Iran and China has been called a ”game changer,” a ”breakthrough,” and a ”major geopolitical shift” in the media, but in reality, it`s a lot of noise for nothing. The agreement, which was concluded on 27 September. Signed with great fanfare during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi`s visit to Tehran, Iran is giving a political and rhetorical victory in the context of its ongoing negotiations on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. Beyond the appearance of the deal with China, however, the substance follows the same scenario that Beijing and Tehran have developed over decades of bilateral relations: agreeing to deepen relations, but on vague terms that include few details and concrete commitments. Finally, there is still a broad consensus among observers that, given China`s desire for profitable trade with the United States and China`s continued adherence to U.S. sanctions against Iran, the U.S. is a significant obstacle to deepening relations between Iran.
When reports of a long-term investment deal with Iran surfaced last September, China`s Foreign Ministry dismissed the issue from the outset. Asked about this last week, a spokesman, Zhao Lijian, left open the possibility that an agreement is being prepared. The 25-year Iran-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the Islamic Republic of Iran, the People`s Republic of China[2] is a 25-year cooperation agreement for the further development of Iran-China relations, signed by the Foreign Ministers of China and Iran in Tehran on March 27, 2021; the final details of the deal have not yet been officially announced. Saeed Khatibzadeh, a spokesman for Iran`s foreign ministry, called the deal ”deep, complex and healthy” the day before it was signed. The initial plan for cooperation was proposed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a visit to Iran in 2016. [7] Iranian President Hassan Rouhani signed the final draft of the program at a cabinet meeting on June 23 and instructed the Iranian Foreign Ministry to conclude the negotiations. .