Iran and China have signed a 25-year wide-ranging cooperation agreement referred to as the ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. The agreement has long been under development, but the signing comes as both countries remain under United States sanctions. The agreement was signed in Tehran on Saturday [27 March 2021] by Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Related reporting and commentary
Iran, China sign ‘strategic’ deal in Tehran. China and Iran inked a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement in Tehran on Saturday. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is quoted as saying that ties would be “permanent and strategic.” (DW, 27 March 2021)
Iran, China sign strategic long-term cooperation agreement. The ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ covers a variety of economic activity from oil and mining to promoting industrial activity in Iran, as well as transportation and agricultural collaborations, according to Iranian state television. (Politico/AP, 27 March 2021)
Iran and China sign 25-year cooperation agreement. Deal signed in Tehran is expected to increase bilateral trade and military cooperation as US rivals move to deepen ties. (Al Jazeera, 27 March 2021)
China and Iran sign 25-year strategic cooperation agreement. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi: “Our relations with Iran will not be affected by the current situation, but will be permanent and strategic.” (France24, 27 March 2021)
Iran, China Sign Economic, Security Agreement, Challenging U.S. Pressure. Iran and China signed a wide-ranging economic and security cooperation agreement, defying U.S. attempts to isolate Iran and advancing Tehran’s longstanding efforts to deepen diplomatic ties outside Western powers. (Wall Street Journal, 27 March 2021)
China, With $400 Billion Iran Deal, Could Deepen Influence in Mideast. The countries signed a sweeping pact on Saturday that calls for heavy Chinese investments in Iran over 25 years in exchange for oil — a step that could ease Iran’s international isolation. (New York Times, 27 March 2021)
Pact with Iran gives China a foothold in the Middle East. China and Iran have agreed a 25-year co-operation deal that gives Beijing a foothold in the Middle East and complicates President Biden’s efforts to bring Tehran back to the 2015 nuclear deal. (The Times, 29 March 2021)
China’s FM Iran visit represents shift for the region. [T]his agreement with China is symbolic of a rapid drift to the east by Iran and the anchoring of the new China-Iran framework in a world order that may one day be led more by China than the West. (Jerusalem Post, 28 March 2021)
Iran’s Pact With China Is Bad News for the West. Tehran’s new strategic partnership with Beijing will give the Chinese a strategic foothold and strengthen Iran’s economy and regional clout. (Foreign Policy, 9 August 2020)
Image: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani welcomes Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China, 27 March 2021. Original photograph issued by the Office of the Iranian Presidency.