President Ebrahim Raisi signed 20 agreements on Sino-Iranian cooperation in Beijing on February 14, 2023

 

President Ebrahim Raisi signed 20 agreements on Sino-Iranian crisis management, tourism, communication and information technology, environment, international trade, intellectual property, agriculture, exports, health and medical treatment, sports, and cultural heritage cooperation in Beijing on February 14. [xxxvii] Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that China aimed to implement the Belt and Road Initiative with Iran and import more Iranian agricultural products while meeting Raisi in Beijing.[xxxviii] Ebrahim Raisi also met with the President of the National People’s Congress of China, Li Zhanshu. Raisi stressed the importance of Iran-China parliamentary cooperation and expressed gratitude for Zhanshu’s support in advancing Sino-Iranian relations. Raisi discussed the National People’s Congress of China’s role in advancing the 25-year Iran-China strategic cooperation agreement.[xxxix] IRGC-affiliated media outlets praised Raisi’s visit to Beijing on February 14 and framed increased Sino-Iranian cooperations as a solution to Iran’s deteriorating economy.[xl]

President Ebrahim Raisi’s February 13 op-ed in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee’s People’s Daily likely signals high-level Chinese support for increased Sino-Iranian cooperation. The People’s Daily is the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the CCP, and its content often reflects the viewpoint of senior party officials.[xviii] Articles in the People’s Daily typically appear under a pen name and directly communicate the party line or express the party-sanctioned view of a named reporter, making Raisi‘s op-ed particularly noteworthy.[xix] Raisi’s op-ed contains multiple Chinese idiomatic, historical, and political expressions (such as the Chinese President Xi Jinping’s catchphrase “community of common destiny”), suggesting Chinese co-authorship or significant post-translation augmentation. Other Chinese media reporting on Raisi’s visit mirrors phrases from the People’s Daily op-ed, further indicating Sino-Iranian message coordination.[xx] Xi’s continued backing of Putin since the Ukraine invasion has been controversial within China, and Xi’s opponents have voiced criticism of his support for revisionist regimes like Russia and Iran.[xxi] It is possible that Raisi's People’s Daily op-ed targets internal critics of Xi’s foreign policy and signals his full commitment to the Iran-China relationship.