From S.R.
What do you do after you make nice to the Arabs? You do the same with the Persians. And you make sure to tell both rivals the same thing -- or almost.
He said. She said.
"China firmly supports Iran in opposing external interference and safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity."
Chinese Vice President Hu tries to assuage Iran after Beijing's summit with the Arabs.
China’s Hu and Iran’s Raisi meet in Teheran on Sept. 13. [Xinhua]
Focus
Making Nice to Iran
Now that China has made nice to the Arabs, it's time for the Persians.
In the aftermath of the Arab-China and China-Gulf Cooperation Council summits, Beijing has decided to highlight relations with Iran. On Dec. 13, Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Teheran and reaffirmed strategic ties.
Hu promised Raisi that China would not abandon or slow down efforts to develop what he termed their comprehensive strategic partnership. He also repeated virtually the exact same words the Chinese leadership voiced the previous week during the Arab summits in the Saudi capital of Riyad.
"China firmly supports Iran in opposing external interference and safeguarding its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national dignity," Hu said.
The visit by Hu was meant to assuage Iran, concerned over both the summits and particularly Beijing's deep ties with Saudi Arabia, a key rival of Teheran. Perhaps the most worrying aspect was the promise by Chinese President Xi Jinping to supply the Arabs with nuclear expertise. Xi, who met the Iranian leadership in September, did not travel to Teheran during his trip to the Gulf.
Relations between Iran and China have been based largely on energy cooperation. In the first eight months of 2022, trade between Beijing and Teheran increased by 19 percent and reached $11.16 billion. Most of that increase was in the form of Iranian energy exports.
China has also been a leading advocate of Iran's nuclear energy program. Beijing has opposed Western sanctions on Teheran and insists that its nuclear program remains peaceful.
Still, Western sanctions on Teheran have blocked China's plans to import massive amounts of crude oil and natural gas as well as expand the Belt and Road Initiative in Iran. The United States has penalized numerous Chinese and Iranian companies accused of facilitating Iranian energy and petrochemical exports to China.
"Iran has always been a trustworthy partner of China, and the two countries stand ready to firmly support each other on issues concerning each other's core interests," Raisi said.
A key Iranian demand is that China implement a 25-year comprehensive cooperation plan, meant to include huge Chinese investments in the Middle East power. During his visit, Hu met Iranian Vice President Mohammed Mokhber on proposals to develop such areas as energy, infrastructure and production.
"No matter how the international and regional landscapes change, Iran will remain firmly committed to deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries," Raisi said.
Another concern by Teheran is that China would pressure Iran to restrict its activities in the Gulf and Middle East. Arab leaders have urged Beijing to become more active in ending the eight-year Iranian-aligned war in Yemen, the southern neighbor of Saudi Arabia and launching pad of numerous missile attacks on the kingdom. In the closing statement at the GCC summit, Beijing was seen as supporting the United Arab Emirates in its dispute with Teheran over islands in the Gulf.
“The statement puts the outline for Arab-Chinese relations and acknowledgement of common grounds, which is very important since the leaders did not meet before all together to establish such statement,” Rasha Al Joundy, an analyst at the Dubai Public Policy Research Center, said.
During Hu's visit, Beijing assured Teheran that the Arab summits would not hamper relations with Iran. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said the meetings with Arab leaders did not target any third party, rather sought to encourage regional stability.
"China supports the GCC countries in improving relations with Iran based on the principle of good-neighborly friendship, in conducting win-win cooperation with Iran and in jointly promoting the development and stability in the Persian Gulf," Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.
Ticker Tape
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