The Iran–China 25-year Cooperation Program or Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between I.R. Iran, P.R China is a 25-year cooperation agreement on Iran–China relations signed in Tehran by the foreign ministers of Iran and China on 27 March 2021, the final details of which are still to be announced. Under a draft of the agreement previously obtained by the New York Times, China is to invest $400 billion in Iran's economy over that time period in exchange for a steady and heavily discounted supply of oil from Iran. The draft agreement was signed on 24 June 2020 in Beijing. Petroleum Economist reports that the agreement includes up to US$280 billion developing Iran's oil, gas and petrochemicals sectors and another US$120 billion investment in upgrading Iran's transport and manufacturing infrastructure. According to Iranian authorities, reviving the One Belt One Road is also part of the agreement. This comprehensive agreement is finalized when there is a heavy propaganda against Iran after the arrival of Biden Administration to White House that won the controversial election with anti-Trump slogans while the patterns of action are still the same. Biden not only has not changed the Trumpian policy of warmongering against Iran rather he has started a new series of actions the aim of which is convincing Islamic Iran for sealing a new more comprehensive deal. The Iran-China Deal shows that Tehran does not wait for the US government to make its decision of returning to JCPOA and leaving Trumpian hostile policies aside. Iran reveals its diplomatic power in identification of alternative options in foreign policy. There is a heavy propaganda against Iran-China Deal. To know the reason of Islamic Republic of Iran for finalization of this historic agreement, we have conducted an exclusive interview with Abolfazl Amooei the Spokesperson for the Commission of National Security and Foreign Policy of Islamic Parliament of Islamic Republic of Iran:
SAEDNEWS: What strategy has led to the finalization of the Iran-China Comprehensive Agreement and why there is such a heavy a propaganda against this deal?
Abolfazl Amooei: The long-term Iran-China cooperation agreement is a roadmap for the joint projects of the two countries in next 25 years and from this point of view, it defines a long term trajectory for the cooperation between Iran and China. In fact, here China expresses its interest in regulation of its relations with Iran in the highest possible level. Given the strategic position of China as the world’s second largest economy and a powerful political and strategic element in the world, this agreement shows China’s attention to Islamic Republic of Iran. This document is the outcome of several years of bilateral negotiations and dialogues for its finalization. It has its origin in China’s President Mr. Chi Jin Ping’s visit to Iran back in 2015. Moreover, this topic was mentioned in the meeting of Mr. Chi Jin Ping’s with the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran. In fact, in this moment, the finalization of this document has a clear message and that message is that the efforts of the western countries for creation of a chain of isolation and pressure against Iran are useless and this chain of sanctions and pressures against Iran can be broken by the cooperation of China. The efforts of the Americans for isolating Iran that reached its apex during Trump’s era will become pointless by the finalization of this agreement. In fact, this is why the western countries and particularly Mr. Biden personally announces that “he has been worried of the implementation of this deal for past one year”. If you surf the reactions that have been shown by the enemies of Iran after the sealing of this agreement, from Biden to the Zionist officials and the main stream media or the terrorist groups like MEK, you will understand that how strategic was the finalization of this agreement by China and Iran. We as the Islamic Parliament of Iran, though are aware of the fact that this agreement is not binding, rather it is an expression of the will of the two countries for the long term cooperation, will use all existing tools to monitor the best implementation of this agreement in order to secure the interests of Iranian nation.
SAEDNEWS: Lately we have been witness to unprecendented mobilization of political forces in west for revival of JCPOA. EU is trying to coordinate the US return to JCPOA. What is your analysis of these efforts in view of the China-Iran Comprehensive Agreement's strategic role?
Abolfazl Amooei: We should pursue a balanced approach in foreign policy with all parts of the world. Exclusive attention to the west will not indeed solve our economic problems; rather we have to have a basket of options for cooperation with Iran. One of these options and one of the main elements of the options for Iran in its active encounter with the pressures can be the long term cooperation with China. We must seal similar documents with other countries including our neighbors, e.g. Russia, Indonesia or BRICS countries. These will provide the foreign policy with new opportunities in order to pursue a balanced and economically grounded diplomacy. It has admittedly been clarified for the western countries with the finalization of this document that Iran is not a mono-option country. JCPOA is not at stake alone. By this agreement, we will be able to leave the American and European betrayal of JCPOA behind and thwart the sanctions. This is in fact a practical example of the neutralization of sanctions as ordered by the Supreme Leader of Islamic Republic of Iran.
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