On China’s National Day, Iran FM wishes for closer strategic ties

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran has congratulated China on its National Day, expressing hope for broader strategic cooperation between the two countries.

“On October 1, the Chinese people will celebrate the 71st anniversary of the foundation of New China and the Mid-Autumn Festival,” Zarif wrote in a Chinese-language post on his official Twitter page on Tuesday.

He wrote, “2020 is a very special year for the whole world,” adding, “China’s success in controlling the [coronavirus] epidemic and achieving a strong economic recovery was hard-won.”

The top Iranian diplomat then wished China and its people more prosperity, expressing hope that the prospects of the comprehensive strategic partnership between Tehran and Beijing will be broader.

10月1日，中国人民将迎来新中国成立71周年和中秋佳节。2020年对全世界来说都是极为特殊的一年，中国成功控制住疫情并实现经济强劲复苏，来之不易、成之惟艰。值此双节相逢的喜庆日子，谨向中国政府和人民致以“双倍”热烈祝贺。祝愿中国更加繁荣昌盛，也祝愿两国全面战略伙伴关系前景更加广阔。

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) September 29, 2020

Relations between Iran and China go as far back as the ancient Silk Road, but they are gaining strategic significance because the West’s refusal to work with Iran under the US pressure, on the one side, and its efforts to stop China’s economic and political rise, on the other, is automatically pushing Tehran and Beijing into an alliance of sorts.

Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, American businesses have been prevented from trade with Iran, while their European counterparts have withdrawn amid US threat of sanctions. That has helped Chinese companies move in and fill the void.

As a result, Iran and China have forged a unique partnership which is almost impossible or not easily viable with any other country.

The two sides have been in talks to finalize a 25-year roadmap for strategic partnership.

The Sino-Iranian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership was announced in a joint statement during a visit to Tehran by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2016.

The cooperation roadmap consists of 20 articles, covering Tehran-Beijing ties in “Political,” “Executive Cooperation,” “Human and Cultural,” “Judiciary, Security and Defense,” and “Regional and International” domains, according to the statement released back then.

Back in mid-June, The Chicago Tribune daily newspaper reported that the 25-year strategic cooperation agreement being negotiated between Iran and China amounts to a “massive failure” of US pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic.

China, meanwhile, remains Iran’s biggest oil client despite Washington’s bid to bring Tehran’s exports down to zero. The oil money is deposited in Chinese banks, and the assets are used to fund development projects carried out in the Islamic Republic.

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