Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Global South strategic cooperation

FairAndUnbiased said:

The solution for Iran is to prove itself a good ally to China rather than complain. Dragging feet on deals has consequences.

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Everytime China makes a push for investments, Iran find a way to fck it up. They shouldn't be surprised that they are now left behind and instead China is now going full steam ahead with economic cooperation with the Gulf States.

If the Iranian leadership have more than one brain cell between them, they will stop their idiotic stalling tactics, open their market for Chinese companies, go sign the JCPOA, and take heed of the bottom line that Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure is of vital importance to China.

This guy gets it

Speaking to IRNA, Boroujerdi stressed that it is China's or any other country's natural right to seek improvement of ties with other countries.

China’s relations with the other countries are not at odds with the interests of Iran, he added.

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He also emphasized that “what triggered angst in the public opinion regarding Tehran-Beijing relations was dos and don’ts set forth in the joint statement issued by GCC and China during Chinese president’s tour to Riyadh.

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Boroujerdi suggested that it is substantial to set a timetable for implementing the 25-year agreement in a bid to signify progress transparently and accelerate its process and procedure.

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Overbom said:

This guy gets it

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And now you see Iran improving itself. No need for threats or ultimatums, just let others compete for your attention.

some more articles on this
GCC countries as we discussed have many reasons to work with China.

The ties with UAE continues to expand

This again is what we talked about. Why the visit to Riyadh and the joint statements are so disastrous for Iran. Also, why the subsequent visit by Hu is not really a positive.

At this point, I think the conservative wing of Iran has no choice but to continue with look east policy. Liberal wing is an entirely different story.

tphuang said:

some more articles on this

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GCC countries as we discussed have many reasons to work with China.

The ties with UAE continues to expand

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This again is what we talked about. Why the visit to Riyadh and the joint statements are so disastrous for Iran. Also, why the subsequent visit by Hu is not really a positive.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

At this point, I think the conservative wing of Iran has no choice but to continue with look east policy. Liberal wing is an entirely different story.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

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Just to point out though, Iran International isn't Iranian. It's owned by the Saudis and operated from London, so take their articles with those biases in mind.

tphuang said:

This again is what we talked about. Why the visit to Riyadh and the joint statements are so disastrous for Iran. Also, why the subsequent visit by Hu is not really a positive.

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Two issues appear to be hampering China-Iran relations. First, negotiations to restore the JCPOA have failed. With sanctions in place, Iran has struggled to attract Chinese investment and cooperation, especially when compared to Saudi Arabia and the UAE

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As I argued in March, economic ties are a pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) that China and Iran have devised, but relaunching economic relations between the two countries requires successful nuclear diplomacy and the lifting of US secondary sanctions.

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Beijing and Tehran announced the beginning of the CSP implementation phase last January when the nuclear talks appeared likely to succeed. Today, the prospects for implementing the CSP are nill and China-Iran trade is continuing to languish at around $1 billion in total value per month.

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That article perfectly explains why I am saying that Iran playing hero on the JCPOA negotiations was such a braindead move. The much hyped 25-year deal was very dependent on lifting sanctions to Iran.



I disagree with the below though. China is happy that Iran is helping Russia on the Ukraine war

Second, Iran’s decision to sell military drones to Russia, thereby becoming actively involved in the war in Ukraine, is proving a significant strategic miscalculation. By actively supporting Russia’s war of aggression, Iran has taken itself out of a large bloc of countries, nominally led by China, that have adopted an ambiguous position towards the conflict. This bloc, which notably includes the GCC countries, is neither aligned with Ukraine and NATO nor openly against Russia and its coalition of hardliner states. In short, Iran’s overt alignment with Russia is at odds with China’s approach.

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And this is the most important point which I wholeheartedly agree. Iran's biggest advantage (anti-west) for China is losing its relevancy

Meanwhile, the evident strains in US relations with Saudi Arabia and the UAE have created an opening for China to deepen ties with the two regional powers. In some respects, this opening has diminished China’s need to cultivate a deeper partnership with Iran. Ties with Tehran had long been attractive as a means to counterbalance US influence in the region. But Beijing’s success in building deeper relations with Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, two capitals that have long taken their cues from Washington, suggests that China is gaining new means to check US power in the Middle East.

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Overbom said:

Everytime China makes a push for investments, Iran find a way to fck it up. They shouldn't be surprised that they are now left behind and instead China is now going full steam ahead with economic cooperation with the Gulf States.

If the Iranian leadership have more than one brain cell between them, they will stop their idiotic stalling tactics, open their market for Chinese companies, go sign the JCPOA, and take heed of the bottom line that Saudi Arabia's oil infrastructure is of vital importance to China.

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Every time Iran gives a contract to a Chinese company, the Chinese side backs out of the deal because they're afraid of American sanctions. It was always easier for China to make a concession to America and drop their Iranian projects than to keep committed to the much smaller Iranian market compared to the US market. From an Iranian point of view, China isn't a reliable partner either. Now that China itself is the target of sanctions, this should change and China will not respect western sanctions.

Despite all the problems of West Asia, there's actually very few territorial disputes. Or

AndrewS said:

It's not even about focusing on an enemy.

It's understanding that constant conflicts and war are bad for business and the prosperity of the people in the country.

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That may be true, but Saudi and other Gulf states can't expect closer ties with China while they let the CIA free reign in their country.

Would you be happy with the latest Chinese military jets made available to Saudi in their current state?

Abominable said:

That may be true, but Saudi and other Gulf states can't expect closer ties with China while they let the CIA free reign in their country.

Would you be happy with the latest Chinese military jets made available to Saudi in their current state?

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We're looking at at least 2030 before the Saudis get a Chinese stealth fighter.

Chinese influence and power will be a lot larger, and it should be a lot clearer that the US will end up displaced in the Arabian Gulf. That will factor in Saudi calculations on who to align with.

China shouldn't choose sides in conflicts in other regions that are mostly emotional and not even about territory. Iran is a vital partner to pacify and develop Afghanistan and connect China via central Asia to the Mediterranean sea. The GCC countries are a partner for the energy industry. Iran has been wasting American energy for decades, it would be foolish not to support that. Saudi Arabia has the option of western investment so won't commit to choose China's side. Iranian oil is discounted, Saudi Arabia charges market price and only accepts USD. If the Saudi ruling family falls, the new government will probably be friendly to China. If the Iranian government falls and the country flips back to the American side, China will have a big problem in the region.

Pakistan is a failed state and CPEC is not a success. How could Pakistan become more successful? Stopping the export of trouble from Afghanistan would help. Cheap energy from Iran and Iran-Afghanistan cooperation would be perfect for Pakistan


The GCC market may be larger than the Iran-Iraq-Syria market today, but Xi Jinping is not visiting them because China values the European and American market even more. And yet, Iran and Syria are firmly on the side of Russia and China while Saudi Arabia wants to work with both sides