China and Iran have agreed to increase defense cooperation, including more military drills under what both countries perceive as growing pressure from the United States, the South China Morning Post reports.
Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe visited Tehran on Wednesday where he met with Iran's armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri. At that meeting, Bagheri said Iran and China will cooperate on military training and exchange of knowledge, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Wei also met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and said his trip came during the "current turbulent international situation."
"The trip reflects the importance of China-Iran relations and firm mutual support and joint progress," Wei said in a Chinese defense ministry statement.
"The Chinese military is willing to maintain strategic communication with the Iranian side, make good use of the cooperation mechanism, and promote practical cooperation, so as to push the relationship between the two militaries to a higher level," he added.
Both Iran and China say they oppose Russia's invasion into Ukraine, but both also say NATO actions are also partly responsible, the Morning Post reports.
With the war in Ukraine, China is seeking closer ties to countries such as Iran, seen to be enemies and rivals of the United States, Chinese diplomats and military experts say, according to the Morning Post.
"China and Iran share a similar pro-Russia stance on Ukraine and they have conducted three naval drills with Russia since 2019. They obviously want to strengthen and substantiate their comprehensive strategic partnership," Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations at Beijing's Renmin University, told the Morning Post.
"The Ukraine war has accelerated the emergence of a bipolar world order. Beijing has largely followed Moscow and edged closer to Tehran on talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, suspended since last month," Shi said, but added that China is aware of America's concerns and will be cautious of pursuing closer ties with Iran.
Both countries are currently at increased tensions with the U.S., the Morning Post notes, with China siding with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in addition to ongoing disputes over human rights issues, the trade war, the South China Sea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the treatment of Uygurs.
At the same time, Iran wants the United States to remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard from the designation as a terrorist organization as part of talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal that would lift sanctions.
China has said its relationship to Russia is a "comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination." Iran is working with Russia, which is negotiating on behalf of the United States, on the nuclear deal.
Iran is also reported to be trying to buy arms from Russia, including Sukhoi-5 fighter jets and the S-400 missile defense system, according to the Morning Post.
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