By Shannon Tiezzi
Xi Jinping tries to deepen ties with Iran, while not alienating Saudi Arabia.
Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up his first Middle East tour with a visit to Iran, making him the first Chinese president to set foot in the Islamic Republic since 2002. For the most part, Xi’s accomplishments in Iran mirrored the advances he made a few days earlier in Saudi Arabia – an upgraded relationship as well as a focus on energy and economic ties under the “Belt and Road” framework. That’s by design; China doesn’t want to avoid upsetting either Tehran or Riyadh by being seen to favor one or the other, particularly given the tense state of Saudi-Iran relations so far in 2016.
Just as with Saudi Arabia, China upgraded its ties with Iran to a “comprehensive strategic partnership” during Xi’s visit. Xi recommended that the two countries prioritize increased cooperation in energy, infrastructure, industrial capacity, and finance – all areas that fall under the larger subheading of cooperation on the “Belt and Road” initiative. Those four areas feature prominently in China’s discussions with most of its “Belt and Road” partners, including Saudi Arabia. Under the Belt and Road framework, China and Iran set a goal of expanding their bilateral trade to $600 billion in the next ten years – well more than 10 times the $52 billion the two countries did in trade in 2014.
On the political front, a joint statement issued by China and Iran noted that “two sides regard each other as important strategic partners and thus designate the expansion of bilateral relations as a priority of their respective foreign policies.” To help boost political ties, China and Iran agreed to start annual meetings between their foreign ministers. China also reaffirmed its support for Iran to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which would provide another annual forum where the two countries interact (albeit in a multilateral setting).
Read the full story at The Diplomat