On January 15, the website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abdullahyan in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, on the 14th, and the two sides announced the launch of the implementation of the comprehensive cooperation plan between the two countries. As soon as the news came out, it quickly attracted the attention of the international media.
The Western media, led by the Wall Street Journal, in addition to playing up China's "expansion of influence" and "profit" from the JCPOA, have also set their sights on China's criticism of the United States' unilateral withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal.
The Iranian side showed a welcoming attitude. Abdullahyan, who participated in the meeting, said the talks between China and Iran on expanding bilateral relations had made "very good progress." Iran's ambassador to China, Keshavarzzadeh, said on social media that launching the implementation of the comprehensive cooperation plan between the two countries is one of the "important outcomes" of the trip.
Press TV, an English-language media outlet responsible for Iran's foreign propaganda, wrote this headline: China-Iran Agreement, the End of Washington's Hegemony?
Press TV: China-Iran Agreement, The End of Hegemony in Washington?
Western media play up China's "influence" and focus on China's criticism of the United States
On January 14, local time, the Wall Street Journal interpreted the talks between China and Iran at length from the perspective of Western media.
Iran is currently trying to strengthen ties with China, Russia and other countries to help it "bypass" U.S. sanctions and revive its economy. After the Trump administration unilaterally announced its withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and re-sanctioned Iran, China has become an important economic line for Iran.
The 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement signed by the two sides in March last year is an important symbol.
According to foreign media such as The New York Times and Bloomberg, although the specific content of the agreement has not been announced, some insiders said that the details of the agreement are basically similar to the contents of the documents disclosed the previous year: China will invest in dozens of fields such as Iranian telecommunications and infrastructure in the next 25 years, worth up to $400 billion, and will receive conventional oil supply from Iran.
On January 14, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Abdullahyan in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province
According to commodity data provider Kpler, China imported an average of at least 590,000 barrels of oil a day from Iran last year, the highest level since sanctions were reinstated.
At the same time, Iranian President Lehi will also visit Russia in the near future. Iran's Foreign Ministry said it expected to sign a 20-year cooperation agreement during the visit to promote trade and military relations.
Still, the Wall Street Journal exaggerated the power of U.S. sanctions. With the United States continuing to impose sanctions, it is not known how much risk China and Russia will "take" for Iran.
Iran is in the process of striking deals with several other countries in Asia to trade oil and gas for the products it needs.
Last month, for example, Iran signed an agreement with Sri Lanka to trade oil for Tea and other items from Sri Lanka. Last November, Iran signed a similar deal with Pakistan to trade natural gas for rice. Iranian officials say they are also negotiating domestic housing infrastructure with Turkish companies on the condition of oil and gas.
Iranian President Lehi Infographic
The report then took a sharp turn, quoting anonymous so-called "Tehran businessmen" as claiming that the terms of the deal between China and Iran were "more favorable to China." China often sells them "inferior quality products" and they have no choice. Under the threat of sanctions, many of Iran's barter deals will eventually collapse.
But the article also acknowledges that Iran's move did bring foreign exchange. According to the latest data released by iran's customs department, in the eight months ending November 2021, the value of transit goods from major Asian countries rose to $33 billion, an increase of 45% from the previous year.
Reuters reported in a similar tone that China and Iran signed a 25-year cooperation agreement last year to include Iran in China's Belt and Road Initiative. The plan aims to "significantly expand" China's economic and political influence, drawing "widespread attention" from the United States and other countries.
On the other hand, the wording of the Chinese statement criticizing the Unilateral Withdrawal of the United States from the JCPOA has also attracted the attention of Western media. Reuters wrote in the headline: "With the signing of the cooperation agreement, China lashed out at U.S. sanctions against Iran. ”
The article mentioned that the United States was the first to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions that seriously damaged Iran's economy, claiming that these provisions were not enough to curb Iran's nuclear activities, ballistic missile program and regional influence. A year later, Iran began to gradually violate the agreement, rebuilding its enriched uranium reserves and installing advanced centrifuges to speed up output.
The Wall Street Journal did not mention that the United States was the first to withdraw from the nuclear agreement, but instead accused Iran of "possibly developing the technology to make nuclear weapons."
Iranian Media: The End of Washington's Hegemony?
Iranian officials on social media have welcomed the talks and cooperation between China and Iran.
Abdullahyan said with a Chinese on Twitter on the 14th: "At the beginning of the 2022 New Year, I am very happy to start my first visit to China since taking office. In the beautiful Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, I exchanged views with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a wide range of topics such as the Comprehensive Cooperation Plan and the Vienna Negotiations, and reached important consensus. China's Year of the Tiger is coming, I wish the relations between the two countries to leap forward in the second 50 years, and I also wish that the Beijing Winter Olympics, which will be held during the Spring Festival in China, will bring tigers and tigers to the world under the epidemic! ”
In a subsequent interview with the media, he said that the talks between China and Iran on expanding bilateral relations have made "very good progress" and that the two sides are discussing "strategic issues.".
"In the bilateral relationship, we have maintained good coordination and diversity on various issues, and we have made very good progress in the interests of both sides," he said. Iran's new government wants to accelerate in strengthening bilateral relations. ”
Iranian Ambassador to China Keshawarzzadh said on Twitter that the implementation of the 25-year comprehensive cooperation plan is one of the important outcomes of the trip. The Iranian delegation is made up of senior politicians and economic officials, and relations between the two countries are now very good.
The Iranian media also expressed a welcome view. Press TV, an English-language media outlet responsible for Iran's foreign propaganda, wrote a headline: China-Iran Agreement, the End of Washington's Hegemony?
Iranian diplomatic experts were quoted as saying that In order to strengthen economic and political ties between the two countries, China and Iran signed a historic cooperation agreement in March last year. Such a strategic partnership would greatly weaken the sanctioning power of the United States and its Western allies, as well as their overall monopoly and hegemony in international affairs.
Iran's state news agency quoted another expert, Hamed Vafaei, as saying that the 25-year cooperation plan between China and Iran should be implemented as soon as possible, and stressed the importance of Abdullahyan's visit to China.
He held that under the current international and regional situation and the overall environment of the development of Sino-Iranian relations, the Iranian foreign minister's visit to China is of great significance. But he also acknowledged that the project will only be strategic if all Iranian entities, ministries and organizations that plan to work with China have clear operational plans for the next 25 years.
This article is an exclusive manuscript of the Observer Network and may not be reproduced without authorization.