China, Iran to forge closer ties due to common threat from United States, analysts say
- Beijing remains keen to resolve its trade war with Washington but stronger economic relations with Tehran seem inevitable, observers say
- Foreign ministers from China and Iran met in Beijing on Friday
Closer cooperation between China and Iran, especially on economic matters, is inevitable given they are both now targets of rising US antagonism, analysts said.
Pentagon officials are expected to brief national security officials on Thursday on a plan to send an extra 10,000 US troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions with Iran, which is a major oil exporter.
Meanwhile, the US remains locked in a trade war with China, with both countries ramping up tariffs on each other’s goods after negotiations aimed at resolving the 10-month dispute faltered early this month.
Mohsen Shariatinia, an assistant professor of international relations at the Shaid Beheshti National University in Tehran, said the United States’ actions had made enhanced cooperation between Beijing and Tehran “not a choice, but a necessity”.