Despite the hype raised by Tehran
Bobby Ghosh: The comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Iran is much less than it appears
China reached an agreement with the outgoing Hassan Rouhani within months of little value.
A.F.B.
Wang Yi signed the official documents with Zarif during his visit to Tehran.
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The signing of the "comprehensive strategic partnership" between China and Iran, which extends over a period of 25 years, was announced earlier this week with a sense of the victor in Tehran, while some Western circles received the news with alarm, and the agreement was interpreted as a challenge on the part of Iran. Because of the sanctions imposed by America on it, and it is an indication that China is gradually replacing American influence in the Middle East region.
But the matter is not something of the above, according to what journalist Bobby Ghosh sees in the report published by Bloomberg News, where he said that despite the hype raised by Iran, the deal is not a "partnership" as much as it is a bond of my pledge to support the establishment of economic and political relations. And better trade between Beijing and Tehran over the next quarter of a century.
The viewer crosses
The American writer of Indian origin said that the scenes of the announcement of the partnership memorandum indicated this: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi signed official documents, during his visit to Tehran, as part of a Middle East tour that includes six countries.
This indicates that the deal with Iran does not have the same weight for Beijing as the agreements that China has signed with a country like Bangladesh.
And when the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, wants to show his interest in promoting his country's influence somewhere, he is the one who puts his signature on the documents.
Moreover, the agreement itself speaks at a long time about possibilities, and little about details.
China will invest in Iran, which will provide Beijing with cheap oil in return.
Neither side disclosed any information related to the financial details, and an Iranian copy of the deal that was leaked last summer was ambiguous, prompting speculation that Beijing is committed to investing sums ranging between 400 and 800 billion dollars, in sectors ranging from the banking sector and infrastructure. To healthcare and information technology.
Pure wishes
But all of this remains pure wishes, as long as Iran continues to suffer under the many economic sanctions imposed on it by former US President Donald Trump, and none of them have been eased under his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Ghosh says that Biden is keen to reverse the unilateral decision taken by Trump to withdraw from the nuclear agreement that Iran signed with world powers in Vienna in 2015, but Tehran has rejected all the conditions of the US president related to Washington's return to the agreement.
China, one of the signatories to the nuclear agreement, has demanded that America return to it without any preconditions.
There is a perception, according to Ghosh, that Biden will ease some of the restrictions imposed on the Iranian economy, as an incentive to push towards the resumption of nuclear talks.
But most sanctions are likely to remain while negotiations are on track.
The numerous restrictions imposed on the basis of Iran's support for terrorism will remain in effect, even if the two sides reach an agreement on nuclear matters.
Toxic tablets
It is worth noting that even after the lifting of sanctions on Iran following the conclusion of the nuclear deal in 2015, foreign investors did not exactly push into Iran, which is partly due to the state of confusion due to the restrictions that remained in effect.
Indeed, the picture is now more blurry, due to the so-called "toxic pills" that the Trump administration has inserted into the sanctions system, to prevent any rapid easing of them.
Ghosh wrote that for Beijing, there are a number of geopolitical factors that must be taken into account. There is no doubt that the Chinese president is keen to gain more influence in the Middle East, a region of vital importance to secure his country's imports of hydrocarbons (oil and gas). It is also important for his ambition to establish the modern Silk Road, through the "Belt and Road Initiative", launched by Xi in 2013. But China has always been a cautious investor, focusing on a few mega-deals with state-owned entities.
Ghosh says the partnership with Iran exposes Beijing to fluctuations in regional enmities.
As long as the hostility continues between Iran and the Arab countries, the Chinese should place in the balance investment opportunities in Iran, in exchange for the anger they might provoke on the other side of the Gulf.
In conclusion, Josh referred to the issue of domestic politics, which is getting heated up in the lead up to the general elections scheduled in the country this summer.
And reaching an agreement with the administration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, which is preparing to leave in the upcoming elections, may not be worth more than the value of the paper it was written on.
After the lifting of sanctions on Iran in the wake of the 2015 nuclear deal, foreign investors have not exactly pushed into Iran, which is partly due to the confusion caused by the restrictions that remained in place. In fact, the picture is now more blurred, due to the so-called "toxic pills" that the Trump administration has inserted into the sanctions to prevent them from being quickly eased.
The deal between China and Iran is not a "partnership" as much as it is a bond of pledge to support the establishment of better economic, political and trade relations between Beijing and Tehran over the next quarter of a century.
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