China’s Engagement and Relations with Iran
Key information
- Date
- Venue
- Virtual Event
About this event
China has been leading the Middle East/West Asia’s ‘Asianization’ since the late 1990s and has emerged as the primary trading and investment partner of ME/WAsian countries. PRC-IRI relations in this process stand out for both geopolitical and ideo-political reasons. These relations have blossomed since the 1990s, a process of tentative engagement and warming of relations which both parties have viewed positively since the collapse of the Soviet state and the opening up of the Asian landmass to Asia’s traditional powers. The convergence, arguably has not only been shaped by the parties’ shared perception of the United States as an intrusive Asian actor, but has been accelerated by the process of ‘systemic shift’, the surge in China’s thirst for Persian Gulf’s hydrocarbons, Iran’s ‘Asianization’, the BRI’s ambitious drive to build a new Eurasian space, and last but not least, the sustained pressure of sanctions and economic isolation imposed on the Islamic Republic.
Recording
About the speaker
Anoush Ehteshami is Professor of International Relations in the School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University. He is the Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah Chair in International Relations and Director of the HH Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah Programme in International Relations, Regional Politics and Security . He is, further, Director of the Institute for Middle Eastern & Islamic Studies (IMEIS) at Durham, one of the oldest and noted centres of excellence in Middle Eastern studies in Europe. His most recent publication (with Niv Horesh) is How China is Changing the Middle East (New York, NY: Routledge, 2020).
Registration
This webinar will take place online via Zoom. After registering, a separate Zoom registration link will be emailed to you closer to the date of the webinar. Online registration
The webinar will also be live-streamed on our Facebook page for those that are unable to participate via Zoom.
Chair: Gilbert Achcar (SOAS)
Organiser: SOAS Middle East Institute and the SOAS China Institute
Contact email: smei@soas.ac.uk
