Iran and China: A New Approach to Their Bilateral Relations

124 Pages·2017·0.783 MB·English

by  Shirzad Azad

Iran and China
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Iran and China
A New Approach
to Their Bilateral Relations
Shirzad Azad
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LEXINGTONBOOKS
Lanham•Boulder•NewYork•London
PublishedbyLexingtonBooks
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Copyright©2017byLexingtonBooks
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se electronicormechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretrievalsystems,
r sth withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquote
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th ISBN:978-1-4985-4458-0(electronic)
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PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Contents
Preface vii
Introduction ix
Chapter1:The1980s:MarkingaWatershedinSino–IranianTies 1
Chapter2:UnderEminencesGrises:VowingPerpetualPartnership 17
Chapter3:SameTalks,ContrastingConnotations:Civilizational
Nuances 31
Chapter4:PrinciplismEngagesPragmatism:FailuresandFrictions 47
Chapter5:ANewEra:TowardStrategicEquilibrium 75
Conclusion 95
.d Bibliography 99
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vrese Index 103
r sthg AbouttheAuthor 109
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Preface
This book is written from the viewpoint that the old relationship between
Iran and China is essentially a horse of a different color and has little to do
withthewaythetwocountrieshavemanagedtheirtiesoverthepastseveral
decades. It instead studies the interactions between the two countries in the
post-1980era,duringwhichtheirrelationshavebyandlargebeenunceasing
andincremental.Ratherthanprovidingadetailedaccountofmyriadpolitico-
economic connections involving the two sides, I paid particular attention to
howIranandChinahavetreatedeachothersincetheearly1980s.Thebook,
therefore, as much as possible, aims to keep away from descriptive narra-
tives,particularlyrecapitulatingwhatotherworksalreadyhavetackled.
One other important matter is that the Iranian–Chinese relationship, like
all other formal state-to-state relations, has never been linear: their bilateral
tiesover more thanthree andone-halfdecadesoften havebeenfraughtwith
.de upsanddowns.I endeavorto cover as concisely as possible all majorissues
vrese that have mattered most in Tehran’s relationship with Beijing since 1980
r sth withoutpreoccupationwithhowthetwopartiescouldhavesortedthingsout
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ir llA otherwise.Havingsaidthat,myargumentwithregardtoalikelydirectionof
.sko theSino–Iranianrelationshipintheforeseeablefutureisbasedonmyunder-
oB standingofhowthepoliticalestablishmentsinBeijingandTehranfunction.
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vii
viii Preface
Finally, I am an Iranian citizen who is discontented with the current
situationofChinesestudiesinmyhomecountry.Ihopethatthepresentwork
contributes humbly to the relevant existing literature and fills a tiny fraction
ofthegapmyfellowcitizensathomeandabroaddefinitelyhadbetteroppor-
tunities and resources to fill a long time ago. And although I appreciate the
incisive feedback and invaluable suggestions of the anonymous reviewers
(nomatterthatIdisagreedwithsomeoftheiropinions),allshortcomingsand
mistakesinthisbookareminealone.
ShirzadAzad
Beijing
March6,2016
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Introduction
RESEARCHTHEME
The contemporary scholarship on the Iranian–Chinese relationship tends
generally to drift toward two contrasting lines of argument. Based on one
assertion, Iran and China are principally perceived to be “perfect partners,”
“close companions,”“matchless matches,” “cordial comrades,”“amiableal-
lies,” and so forth. The Sino–Iranian ties often are contended to be deep-
rootedandbuiltonverysolidfoundationssothatneitherephemeralexternal
elementsnorevenfundamentaldomesticdevelopmentsineithercountrycan
seriously dent the fortified edifice of their somewhat multifaceted connec-
tions. In abroader context,moreover, IranandChinausuallyare asserted to
be two key angles of an indispensable triangle in the Eurasian arch that
shapesanexusofcontinentalpowerswhosecombinedresourcesandoverall
.de significance make multipolarity in the structure of an international system
vrese stark in its clarity. These two ancient countries continue as usual to obsess
r sth thestrongerrivalarchofpowerintheworldforsomehighlycriticalinterests
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ir llA at stake, ranging from socio-cultural uniqueness to political ideologies and
.sko fromterritorialintegritytostrategicspheresofinfluence.Therefore,thevery
oB nexus of theTehran–Beijingpartnership isclaimedto besopivotal that any
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otg trivial matter in their bilateral relationship essentially pales into insignifi-
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.71 At the other extreme, the Iranian–Chinese interactions are maintained to
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giryp convenience,” “fair-weather friendship,” “unlikely affiliation,” and so forth.
o By cherry-picking certain statistics or highlighting particular developments
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inSino–Iranianrelationsduringthepastdecades,thislineofassertionbyand
large neither believes in any robust foundation that sustains the contours of
ix