Pezeshkian's
first stop in China was the northern port city of Tianjin, where he attended
the 25th Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State, the largest gathering of
the bloc to date. The Iranian president delivered a speech there, addressing
the "unfair" global order led by the West and highlighting the need
to create a new one through collaboration among the Global South.
A much-anticipated meeting between the presidents of Iran
and China took place the next day. Pezeshkian told Xi Jinping that Iran was
ready to work with China "under any circumstances" to elevate
relations to their highest level, stressing that Beijing could count on Tehran
as a "strong and determined friend and ally." Xi reciprocated,
stating he sees Tehran as a "strategic partner" with a
"forward-looking approach." Both sides agreed that more needed to be
done to implement the 25-year cooperation plan signed in 2020.
Analysts in Iran hope that the president’s visit, during
which he was accompanied by his foreign minister, economy minister, and defense
minister, would lead to new military and financial deals.
This appears to be the case, as upon arriving in Tehran,
Pezeshkian stated that "important," "strategic," and
"vital" decisions had been made following his discussions with Xi.
"Additionally, discussions on security and defense
equipment were held with the support of the defense minister, who was present
during this trip, and necessary follow-ups will be carried out in this
regard," Pezeshkian declared. It is believed that Iran is looking to buy
air defense systems and fighter jets from China, although there is no official
confirmation on what it seeks to purchase.
While
Iranians have mostly focused on what the trip could bring about for Iran, the
rest of the world has mainly been discussing how the SCO summit and the close
interaction between India's Modi and Xi demonstrate that the split President
Trump opened up between Washington and New Delhi is much larger than expected.
Trump’s former security advisor told American media that
Trump has “shredded decades of effort” to pull India away from the Russian and
Chinese orbit with his tariff policies.
Furthermore, Modi's presence at the recent SCO meeting,
along with other developments, is viewed as a sign that the new global order
Pezeshkian has called for is approaching, or may already be in place.
"The
new international order everyone has been talking about for years has almost
arrived," said economic and trade analyst Majid Shakeri.
The expert said several factors point to this consolidation
include: 1) the exclusion of Arab states from the Wednesday parade after their
embrace of Trump during his West Asia tour earlier this year, 2) the Siberian
Power Pipeline agreement signed between Russia and China this week, 3) and
Beijing's announcement of its intention to establish an artificial intelligence
cooperation center with the rest of the SCO.
"A crucial piece of the puzzle that is still incomplete
and unclear is India's balancing act between China and America," Shakeri
explained.
Pezeshkian's visit to China also included significant
interactions with other world leaders. While there appeared to be no
interaction with the Indian Prime Minister, Pezeshkian spent four hours in
discussion with Russia's Vladimir Putin and a shorter amount of time speaking
with Pakistan's Shehbaz Sharif, whose country's relationship with Iran is
growing closer by the day.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey was filmed holding onto
Pezeshkian's hand while walking alongside him in a hall. The Iranian president
expressed anticipation for Erdogan's visit to Tehran.
Despite recent tensions between Iran and Turkey regarding
South Caucasus transportation plans and the situation in Syria, both nations
appear in favor of maintaining their friendly relations.
Tajikistan’s Emomali Rahmon was also affectionate with
Pezeshkian. The two countries share a significant part of their history and
culture and view each other fondly.
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