Iran, China agree to deepen strategic cooperation through multilateral alliances

The Iranian and Chinese leaders on Aug. 24 vowed to further enhance their countries' strategic partnership and promote "multilateralism" development amid Iran's recent inclusion in the BRICS grouping.

The announcement came following a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his Iranian counterpart, Ebrahim Raisi, on the sidelines of the 15th BRICS summit in Johannesburg, The Epoch Times reports.

During the meeting, Mr. Xi praised Iran for joining BRICS and said that China will continue to support Iran "on issues concerning respective core interests" and deepen ties, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

Mr Raisi vowed to advance their "comprehensive strategic cooperation," including in China's Belt and Road Initiative, saying that BRICS expansion has shown that the unilateral approach is going "downhill."

Iran was among the six nations—including Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—invited to join the bloc, with membership coming into effect in January 2024.

The expansion adds economic heft to BRICS, whose current members are China, the world's second-largest economy, as well as Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa. It could also amplify its declared ambition to become a champion of the Global South.

The entry of oil powers Saudi Arabia and UAE highlights their drift away from the United States' orbit and ambition to become global heavyweights in their own right.

Russia and Iran have found common cause in their shared struggle against US-led sanctions and diplomatic isolation, with their economic ties deepening in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking at the summit, Mr Raisi said that Iran will support the BRICS group of emerging economies' de-dollarization efforts as they intend to shift away from the greenback and trade in local currencies.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran very resolutely supports the successful endeavours of BRICS in line with de-dollarization from the trade and economic interactions between the members and also making use of local currencies," he stated.

Iran–China Relations

Iran and China signed a cooperation agreement in 2021 to strengthen their economic and political alliance. In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to resume diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by China.

China is a major buyer of Iranian oil despite US sanctions designed to choke off these exports. Washington has imposed extensive sanctions on Iran over the years, including over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and accusations of human rights abuses.

Brandon Weichert, author of "Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower," told The Epoch Times in a previous report that he believes that Beijing does not intend to bring peace to the region but to gain greater control and access to critical energy flows out of the Middle East.

On the other hand, securing oil and natural gas from the Middle East would also facilitate Beijing to prepare for the wider battlefield for an inevitable invasion of Taiwan and try to curb any American countermoves that might be designed to slow down or stop the Chinese invasion, he said.

"The ink is not even dried on this Chinese-backed deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Iranian-backed Hezbollah and Lebanon [are] popping off rockets at Israel," Mr Weichert said in an interview for "China in Focus" on NTD, the sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

"And so this is not bringing peace, love, and happiness. What this is doing is creating disorder; this is managed disorder by China to stir the hornet's nest, push the Americans out of the region," he added.