How Far Will China Go for Iran?

About this episode

The episode discusses the complex relationship between China and Iran amidst ongoing geopolitical tensions.

This week: China and Iran. The two countries have close ties and, yet, while China initially condemned the US-Israeli war on Iran, the Chinese government has stayed mostly quiet even as the bombing continues. Meanwhile the Iranian government is doubling down on this friendship. As of this taping, Iran has opened up the Strait of Hormuz to Chinese ships. To learn more about what this all means, Jane interviews Yun Sun, a Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center in Washington where she focuses on China’s relations with other authoritarian regimes. In her most recent article in Foreign Affairs - entitled “Why China Won’t Help Iran” - she points out that China is Iran’s most important partner in the Middle East. But she questions, how important is Iran to China? Guest: Yun Sun, Senior Fellow & Director of the China Program, Stimson Center Further Reading: Why China Won’t Help Iran by Yun Sun, Foreign Affairs: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/china/why-china-wont-help-iran ***PLEASE TAKE OUR AUDIENCE SURVEY*** It only takes a minute and will help guide the future of Face-Off: https://bit.ly/faceoffsurvey Face-Off: The U.S. vs. China is produced in partnership with ⁠Rowhome Productions⁠…

People in this episode

Host: Jane

Guest: Yun Sun

Topics covered

• China-Iran relations
• Middle East politics
• U.S.-Israeli conflict
• authoritarian regimes
• geopolitical alliances

Keywords

• China
• Iran
• geopolitics
• U.S.-Israeli war
• Strait of Hormuz
• Yun Sun
• Stimson Center
• Foreign Affairs

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Stimson Center, Foreign Affairs

Places: Iran, China, United States, Strait of Hormuz

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