Will China-Iran ties help foster a ‘new Asia’? Envoy sees rebalance in region
Tehran envoy Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli calls on Beijing to provide a ‘balanced’ strategic partnership to help reduce tension in Asia
China and Iran should strengthen “wise and balanced” cooperation to jointly counter modern challenges and shape a new world against unilateralism and hegemony, according to Tehran’s top envoy in Beijing.
Describing ties with China as “decisive” to regional peace, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli told a gathering of students and researchers that the strategic partnership between the two countries had gone beyond a bilateral level and could improve the roles of Asian countries in global decision-making.
“From a strategic perspective, the Iran-China relationship is part of a larger process of the rise of a new Asia,” Fazli said through a translator in Beijing on Tuesday.
“In this Asia, independent nations with ancient civilisations are redefining their roles in the global order. In other words, the strategic bond between Tehran and Beijing transcends ordinary economic and diplomatic ties. It is a geopolitical connection that will contribute to the rebalancing of power in Asia’s future.”
The intense geopolitical rivalry between Beijing and Washington has prompted speculation that China may step up its backing of Tehran to ensure its strategic interest in the Middle East.
Closer ties between the two nations have been aided by the 12-day war in June when Israel – briefly joined by the US – launched a broad air campaign against Iran, targeting its nuclear facilities and military leadership.
At the event, hosted by the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, a think tank with Renmin University of China, Fazli stressed Iran’s strategic positions in energy and transport.
Sitting at the crossroads of the Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia, Iran borders the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, while it also controls the Strait of Hormuz.
At the same time, Iran’s abundant energy reserves could also help Beijing strengthen its energy security, he added.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, Iran was the world’s third-largest oil and second-largest natural gas reserve holder as of 2023.
“[This] combined with China’s role as a major economic and technological power in East Asia, creates the foundation for a partnership that can deepen connections between East and West Asia through wise and balanced cooperation,” Fazli said.
Such cooperation – in infrastructure, energy, transport and emerging technologies – was “poised to reshape the future of regional interaction”, he said.
“At a time when certain foreign powers are seeking to destabilise West Asia through interventionist policies and unilateral sanctions, the Iran-China partnership, built on mutual respect, multilateralism and peaceful development, offers a unique and constructive model for the region,” he said.
“From political and geopolitical perspectives, the China-Iran relationship serves to strengthen regional cooperation, bolster strategic autonomy and elevate the role of Asian nations in global decision making,” he said.
However, cooperation between Beijing and Tehran is expected to come under further scrutiny after Britain, France and Germany activated the “snapback” mechanism to reintroduce sweeping UN economic and military sanctions on Iran – 10 years after they were lifted.
The three European partners of the Iran nuclear deal – signed in 2015 to limit the Iranian nuclear programme, in return for sanctions relief – accused Iran of “continued nuclear escalation” and a lack of cooperation.
These allegations came after Tehran suspended inspections of its nuclear facilities, a commitment under the accord, following the air strikes by Israel and the US.
China has warned against a new round of security crises in the Middle East after a joint proposal with Russia failed to secure enough votes at the UN to stop the reintroduction of sanctions.
Speaking in Tehran on Monday, Cong Peiwu, the Chinese ambassador in the Islamic Republic, said China would respond to sanctions against Iran if China’s interests were hurt, according to the Fars News Agency, which is close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.