Beijing building bridges The role of Diaoyutai State Guest House in global diplomacy

Beijing building bridges: The role of Diaoyutai State Guest House in global diplomacy

BEIJING- The strategic partnership between Iran and China has once again gained prominence following the discussions held between high-ranking officials from both nations in Beijing on Friday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosted Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov at Diaoyutai State Guest House on March 14, 2025.

Earlier that day, the deputy foreign ministers of Iran and Russia engaged in discussions with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu at the same location.

The talks focused on Iran's nuclear program. China and Russia acknowledged Iran's entitlement to peaceful nuclear technology and advocated for the removal of US sanctions imposed on Tehran.

Discussions also covered other topics of interest to the three countries including regional and international developments and cooperation within the frameworks of BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

In July 2023, the SCO officially approved Iran's full-fledged membership. Iran became the ninth member of the bloc which is the world's largest regional organization in terms of geographic scope and population. 

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization with its Secretariat located in Beijing; is an intergovernmental entity founded in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Its primary objective is to foster cooperation and maintain peace among its member countries.

Besides, at the start of this year, Iran officially joined BRICS, five months after it was announced that the country would be accepted as a full member of the group. In addition to Iran, several other countries also joined BRICS in January 2025.

BRICS initially consisted of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, which collectively,  represent around 40% of the global population and a quarter of the world's GDP.
In addition to their membership in BRICS and the SCO, Iran and China have signed a long-term cooperation agreement.
In March 2021, Iran and China established a noteworthy 25-year partnership agreement, with the objective of strengthening their long-standing economic and political relationship.
In recent times, the relationship between the two countries has grown stronger, notably following the reimplementation of sanctions on Iran's economy by US President Donald Trump in 2018 during his first term in office. 
Since his return to the White House in January, Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" strategy towards Iran, directing his administration to implement sanctions on Tehran and intensify their enforcement.
Trump launched the maximum pressure policy after unilaterally withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018. 

He has also launched a trade war against China. Trump has enacted new blanket tariffs of around 20% of Chinese exports on top of existing 10% duties that went into place during his first term (2017-2021). China has responded with up to 15% duties on US farm goods.

Presently, the meetings at Diaoyutai State Guest House have gained considerable significance amid the US pressure on both Iran and China. 

Trump has issued threats of military intervention against Iran concerning its nuclear program, whereas China is striving to address the conflict through diplomatic discussions. Additionally, China has called on the White House to settle its trade disagreements with Beijing through negotiations.

The discussions held in Beijing on Friday clearly demonstrate that China has emerged as a significant political force across the globe, owing to its role in mediating disputes through dialogue.

source: tehrantimes.com