CHINA IRAN TRAIN TRADE DEAL

Written by Michael Thervil

China-Iran transnational commercial trading train Photographer unknown

[CHINA-IRAN TRAIN TRADE DEAL] While President Trump was busy applying sanctions on countries all over the world, to include a remote Antarctic outpost in which no one lives but flocks of penguins and seals; China and Iran have not only been working towards strengthening trade and economic ties amongst each other, but building a brand new rail system that as a symbol of their commitment to bilateral free trade between the two countries. Granted, the rail system has been in development since 2021 due to their 25-year signed agreement worth an estimated $400 billion between both nations, but the new commercial trading route facilitated and completed its first transnational shipment from Yiwu, China to the Aprin dry port located in Islamshahr, southern Tehran Iran earlier this week. China and Iran aren’t the only nations that are reaping the benefits from this China-Iran commercial trading deal.

Countries such as Kazakhstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan will all benefit from this commercial trade deal as well. All six countries solidified a deal on the 12th of May in Tehran creating a network of countries that seem to have successfully “bucked” the Trump Tariffs that have been not only wreaking havoc within the international community, but injecting instability and volatility within markets of all sectors. This deal between all six countries will allow China to transport goods and products to the rest of Europe as well. The transnational deal between China and Iran seems to be “Trump Proof” as President Trump ramps up his “Maximum Pressure” campaign against Iran. Logistically shipping on land allows China to avoid the Malacca Strait. America tends to utilize oceans and waterways to police the flow of commercialized ships who may not wish to “play ball” with the wishes of the Trump administration and presidential administrations before it.

Instead of the 30 days required for ships to transport goods and products from Shanghai China to Iran, the transnational shipping days have been cut in half to 15 days total time for any Chinese shipments to Iran and vice versa. While Iran needs hardware and other goods and products that range from technology to furniture, China gets what every country needs and that’s access to cheap oil and gas which means more energy for China. As America and the collective west have placed sanctions on the buying and selling of Iranian oil in a subpar effort to economically punish Iran, it appears that this last strategic development between China and Iran are rendering American sanctions worthless by the passing of each day.

Another benefit of the China-Iran transnational commercial deal is that it also appears to be cheaper and safer than the traditional route of sailing large commercial trading ships back and forth between both countries. This is important to note because the cheaper things become logistically, the lower the pricing will be for local business and the consumers. It was reported that this first round of goods and products from China contained solar panels. Currently there are several more trains on the way to Iran. This comes during a time when America and Iran are currently negotiating nuclear enrichment talks, which appear to be going nowhere fast. But whether the talks between the two nations are producing anything of substance or not, doesn’t mean that Iran is waiting on the blessing of America to secure its future.