The Relationship of China and Iran - Term Paper Example

Iranians became critical on being involved with anything Chinese until recently. China’s surging demand for oil and the United States’ antagonism towards Iran have drawn the countries together. In fact, a major alliance might be in the offing between the two countries that is largely seen to benefit both of the parties concerned. Such alliance has a broad and far-reaching impact, economically, politically as well as in the area of security not just in Iran but in the whole of the Gulf region.

Writing for the Washington Post, Robin Wright cites the two huge new oil and gas deals between China and Iran as the foundation for such burgeoning relationship which is expected to last for the next 25 years. (Wright 2004: A21) According to Wright, China’s oil reserves will be depleted in 14 years that is why the country is aggressively trying to secure future suppliers such as Iran, which presently is the second-largest source of the former’s imported petrol. (Wright 2004: A21) In exchange, China has become a rich source for Iranian’s appetite for goods and, most importantly, the country becomes the key obstacle to putting international pressure on Iran with its U.N. Security Council veto power.

            Actual figures on trade between China and Iran are hard to come by, mainly because the trade movements between these two countries are so rapid and that the Chinese arms sale to Iran is not publicized and included in the actual statistics. (Gladney 2004: 317) However, Iran is adamant to increase trade further as evident in a signed preliminary accord which amounts to $70 billion to $100 billion where China will buy Iranian oil and gas and help develop Iran’s Yadavaran oil field near the Iraqi border.

(Wright 2004: A21) China, for its part, has become a primary source of manufactured goods for Iran, the bulk of which includes computer systems, household appliances and cars. This was summed up by Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s former representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency when he said that, “We [China and Iran] mutually complement each other. They have industry and we have energy resources.” (Stackelback 2005)

Also sanctions are no longer effective because of the China option which is considered as a secondary market. An emboldened Iranian state backed by the support of China, technologically, politically and economically has a remarkable effect on the Middle Eastern situation as well as in collective policy-making such as in the case of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Gulf Cooperation Council The creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) has generated extensive debate, particularly as to its origin and purpose.

It is seen by a number of observers from the six member states as an organic growth rooted in the pre-GCC interaction of the member states, particularly in the economic field. Some observers, on the other hand, point to various kinds of threats, ranging from that of Israel to those of the Soviet Union, the United States and Iran for its existence. Yet there are those who are more specific and acknowledged the Iraq-Iran war as the one that gave birth to the GCC. The debate on the Gulf Cooperation Council’s origin is significant in this study because it provides us the hypotheses that will serve as the parameters in our assessment of the effect of China-Iran economic and security relationship.

The critics of the GCC have compounded the problem of analyzing its origins. According to Rouhollah K. Ramazani, anti-Western regimes, especially those of the Soviet Union, have already characterized the GCC as some military arm of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). (Ramazani 1) He argued that detractors view the GCC as a tool of the United States in the pursuit of alleged imperialist game in the Middle East. For the admirers of the GCC, such organizational grouping is favourable in a number of counts: For visionaries, it is seen as an initiative that could pave the way for the confederation of the Gulf states while on a more pragmatic tone, we have the notion that consider the GCC as an economic community similar to those of Europe’s.

(Ramazani 1) The most common view shared by analysts and observers interested in Middle Eastern affairs is that the GCC serves as an example of the capacity of Arabs to work toward the goal of complete unity. Also, as officially stated, the Gulf Cooperation Council is set up in order to cover special relations, joint characteristics, joint creed, similarity of regimes and unity of heritage as stated by Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Saud al-Faysal and that such council would express a common desire to deepen and develop cooperation and coordination among them in all fields in a manner that brings good, development and stability to their peoples.

(Ramazani 1) Accordingly, the GCC works within the framework of the Arab League Charter which urges cooperation. The impact of China-Iran economic and security relationship will, hence, be assessed in terms of the previously discussed dimensions in the Gulf Cooperation Council. Hypotheses and Objectives This study will explore the relevance of the China-Iran economic and security relationships on the Gulf cooperation Council. The thrust of this effort is directed at identifying the profound impact by such relationship on GCC - its existence as a grouping and its capabilities as a policy-making body.

Specifically, we highlight the following dimensions that need to be discussed in the main body of the paper: The China-Iran economic and security relationship will affect the relationship of the Gulf region with the United States. Such relationship will also bring tension within the member of the GCC due to possible paradigm shifts in their respective foreign policies Also, China, itself, will advance its economic agenda on the Gulf due to its economic and geo-political importance. The GCC might be utilized as a tool to counter the possibility of China-Iran alliance or at least a growing aggressiveness of the state and would underscore the US-China rivalry in the world stage.

Consequently, as this dissertation explores the impact of the China-Iran economic and security relationships, we also identify and segregate its positive effects from the negative effects on the Gulf Cooperation Council.