The American magazine reported on Wednesday that Raisi is seeking to shore up ties as economic and security woes at least partially are linked to a deteriorating relationship with the West.
According to the online media, the visit also represents an important opportunity for China, because the People's Republic faces intensifying competition with the United States while seeking to fortify its status in the Middle East, just off the heels of the historic China-Arab States Summit held in Saudi Arabia in November.
Newsweek interviewed with Fan Hongda, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University's Middle East Studies Institute and a prominent expert on Iran studies.
Fan, who is currently in Tehran, told Newsweek, I think Iran's main purpose is to strengthen economic cooperation with China.
The analyst went on to say that both Iran and Saudi Arabia are key Chinese partners in the Middle East; therefore, although China's deepening of relations with Iran may cause Saudi Arabia's vigilance, and deepening relations with Saudi Arabia may make Iran unhappy, in fact, China's balanced diplomacy in the Middle East has not changed until now.
Both Iran and China are currently facing some international pressure, Fan said, noting that the two countries may also communicate in response to international pressure.
Tehran's growing relationship with Moscow has already riled US officials, Newsweek reported, adding Shen Shiwei, a journalist and analyst with a background in Chinese business dealings in Africa and the Middle East, emphasized that Beijing was not looking to become mired in the geopolitical quagmire of Middle Eastern rivalries.
The journalist also noted China's diplomacy in the Middle East has never asked regional countries to take sides between China and the US, and China is cautiously avoiding being dragged into the geopolitical battleground with the US.
Signals of Iran's quest for greater cooperation with China on other fronts can be seen in the Islamic Republic's successful bid to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Newsweek wrote.
Iran has also expressed interest in becoming an official partner of BRICS, which is currently comprised of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa and, like the SCO, has opened to bringing on additional participants, the American magazine noted.
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