Dr Farooq Hasnat and Dr Zamurrad Awan professors of international relations and political science in a jointly written article published in English daily ‘The Nation’ on Tuesday said Iran-China plan shows the two countries' determination to counter US coercive policies.
They said the 18-page draft outline identifies nearly a hundred different projects, between the two countries, ranging from building the Iranian infrastructure, like airports, subways and high-speed trains to the development of trade-free zones, and upgrading of the telecommunications network, and many more allied subjects.
They said two ancient Asian cultures, two partners in the sectors of trade, economy, politics, culture and security with a similar outlook and many mutual bilateral and multilateral interests will consider one another strategic partners.
“The deal is worth about 400 billion USD; of which $280 is expected to be spent by China on Iran’s energy sector, while $120 to be reserved for industry and transportation development,” the researchers said in the article.
The professors noted the agreement is likely to address Iran’s economic problems (especially unemployment), which it faced because of the inhuman and cruel American sanctions, after unilateral withdrawal in 2018 from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), by the Trump administration, commonly known as Iran Nuclear Deal.
They said under the proposed agreement Iran will supply oil to China at a special discount, for twenty-five years, fulfilling the energy needs of China.
“Under the same plan, China is likely to introduce a new digital currency called “e-RMB”, which will be able to counter the monopoly of the US dollar in the international economic system, sideling the American sanctions,” the professors said.
**Opportunities of Pakistan
They strongly believed the benefits of this strategic agreement would not be limited to China and Iran, but to the whole region, as it is the first Asian alliance of its nature.
Pakistan and China are partners in the “CPEC”, another long-term strategic partnership, and Chinese close ties with Iran would provide a tactical shield to Pakistan’s strategic and economic interests, strengthening still further—if Pakistan’s another all-weather ally Turkey joins in this equation.
They noted Prime Minister Imran Khan remarked in a recent TV interview, “We should be clear that our future is with China”.
To be sure, China, Pakistan, Iran and Turkey would form a formidable regional strategic understanding.
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