Economic and Political Variables Governing the Strategic Relations Between Iran and China

Over the past few decades, China has been able to achieve significant economic growth by maintaining the structure of its political system, exploiting domestic benefits, and pursuing an open-door policy in the economic sphere. Despite the common interests of Iran and China in the face of regional and international threats, strategic and stable relations have not been established between the two sides. In fact, the main question is to identify and examine the main variables of Iran-China relations to establish strategic bilateral relations for greater benefits. In this study, with a bilateral perspective from the perspective of Iran and China and using the theoretical model of "interdependence", the strategic framework of long-term relations between the two countries has been drawn. Analytical-descriptive study indicates the existence of cooperation between the two countries in three dimensions of energy, transit and security to form a strategic framework between the parties. Therefore, the main issue of the article is to identify the key components that shape the strategic relations between Iran and China. The basic hypothesis is the existence of transit, energy and security variables as bases for cooperation between the two countries. The results indicate that Iran has three comparative advantages, including sustainable energy supply, secure transit access to Central Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, and security in the Islamic geography. In contrast, supplying value-added energy derivatives, completing transit infrastructure, and facilitating access to finance are seen as China's benefits to Iran's economy.