"It has been reported that China and Iran are negotiating a 25-year cooperation agreement named the Sino-Iranian Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The partnership is thought to be a continuation of the 600 billion US dollar trade deal agreement between the two countries in 2016," CGTN said.
"The main difference is the crucial military element added to the original agreement to invest in energy sectors and free trade zones. The deal is a product of the unraveling of the Iran nuclear deal and comes amid a diplomatic clash with the US trying to re-impose sanctions on Iran and the European Union, Britain, France and Germany opposing them. It has been considered controversial for being disproportionately advantageous to China, which is a simpleminded view and overlooks many important aspects of the relationship," it added.
It went on to say, "The US has put Iran in geopolitical isolation, which has not left it with many trading partners. The Donald Trump administration's Iran policy has been a metaphor for destruction. Aside from banning Iranians from entering the US, pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and instating unilateral sanctions, accusing Iran of new missile activity and downing an American drone, the US has also launched cyberattacks and assassinated Qasem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force."
The main reason for the controversy is that the deal paints China in a defiant role against the US However, the deal is primarily pragmatic. Iran is one of the largest producers of oil, and China imports 75 percent of its oil, allowing it to diversify vendors.
"The deal offers Iran a chance at development with mutual respect on its own terms without compromising on its national interests. More importantly, it gives Iran the opportunity not to feel helpless against the onslaught of disapproval from the West. China gets to offer countries a way out from American military adventurism and use of force contrary to international laws. China can play a constructive role in safeguarding the peace and security of the [Persian] Gulf region and promote its BRI."
ZZ/PR/IRN83858482
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