Iranian–Chinese Relations, 1945 – 1979

Abstract

Relations between Iran and China date back to long historical periods and were predominantly commercial in nature. Due to the geographical distance between the two countries, no military confrontation occurred between them throughout history. Rather, their contact took a cultural form, owing to the location of Iran and its ancient civilizations along the Silk Road, through which silk was transported from China to Europe.

In the modern era, there were no official relations between the two countries because China had adopted communist ideology, which was strongly rejected by the United States, the ally of the Shah’s regime in Iran. However, from the mid-twentieth century onward, the People’s Republic of China attempted to enter the Middle East through Iran, which remained apprehensive of the leftist ideas upon which that republic had been founded. Iranian policy was influenced by several factors, the most important of which were fear of communism and a strong desire to ensure political and military stability. Iran therefore sought to maintain economic and military support from the United States, which led it to follow the American position regarding the People’s Republic of China, established in 1949, which initially pursued policies aligned with those of the Soviet Union.

However, the thaw in Sino-American relations had a significant impact on the establishment of official diplomatic relations between Iran and China in 1971. Thereafter, relations between the two sides developed and shifted toward economic cooperation due to oil and China’s need for this commodity in its modern industrial renaissance, which coincided with the global energy crisis. Their relations soon entered a period of coolness, however, as a result of the events of 1979 in Iran, which led to the fall of the Shah’s regime.