[extropy-chat] China/Iran developing mutual defense deal.

[Bret Kulakovich]

Well it is easy to see that this is quid-pro-quo over Taiwan, given  
the plans of the US.

Next up: Opec dissolves.



On Aug 23, 2005, at 2:39 PM, Mike Lorrey wrote:

> http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news? 
> pid=10000087&sid=aFAFgtkElY7Y&refer=top_world_news
>
> Iran, China Eye Military Cooperation After Oil Deals (Update1)
> Aug. 18 (Bloomberg) -- Iran received a military delegation from China,
> paving the way for cooperation in the defense field, Iran's Mehr News
> agency reported, citing Brigadier General Nasser Mohammadi Far, the
> commander of the Iranian army's ground forces.
>
> The Chinese delegation is in Iran for talks on ``developing military
> relations, deepening bilateral ties and paving the way for military
> cooperation,'' the state-run Iranian news agency said. The press  
> office
> of China's Ministry of Defense in Beijing declined to comment on the
> delegation's visit.
>
> ``Our mutual enemies possess advanced military technology, and
> undoubtedly they would rely on this technology in any possible future
> wars,'' Mehr News quoted Mohammadi Far as saying. ``Therefore, it  
> seems
> necessary that both Iran and China upgrade their defense and military
> technology.''
>
> China is Iran's third-largest export market for crude oil, and ties
> between the two countries have strengthened in recent years as Iran
> started granting stakes in the development of its oil and gas fields.
> Iran, under U.S. economic sanctions and at odds with both the U.S. and
> the Europe Union over its nuclear program, is increasingly turning to
> the East for new markets, opening its economy in return.
>
> Energy Contracts
>
> Iran, holder of the world's second-largest oil and gas reserves, has
> given Chinese state oil company Sinopec a 50 percent stake for the
> development of the Yadavaran oil field, one of the Iran's largest
> undeveloped field.
>
> In March, China agreed to buy more than 110 million metric tons of
> Iranian liquefied natural gas over 25 years in a contract which may be
> worth more than $20 billion. The two countries said a month earlier
> they may set up a tanker venture to carry liquefied natural gas to  
> help
> Iran ensure deliveries of its gas to the world's second-largest energy
> consumer.
>
> China is also involved in the construction of the Iranian capital's
> metro and plans to invest $220 million to help finance a new highway
> linking Tehran with its Caspian Sea coast.
>
> Chinese President Hu Jintao was among the first to congratulate Iran's
> new president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his election victory in June, and
> said Chinese leaders looked forward to working with him, Foreign
> Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao reported at the time.
>
> The Asia country also took a softer stance than the U.S. and EU on
> Iran's nuclear ambitions. ``We support resolution of this issue  
> through
> dialog,'' Liu said on June 28.
>
> UN Resolution
>
> Iran last week rejected a resolution from the United Nations nuclear
> watchdog agency urging it to freeze a uranium processing program, and
> vowed to become a nuclear fuel exporter within the next decade.  
> Iranian
> officials on Aug. 10 removed UN seals on equipment used in uranium
> enrichment at a facility in Isfahan, the site of Iran's largest  
> nuclear
> research center.
>
> In response to the Iranian decision, U.S. President George W. Bush  
> told
> Israeli television he wouldn't rule out a military response against
> Iran, saying ``all options are on the table.''
>
> The EU has been negotiating with Iran to limit the program, and Iran
> implemented a voluntary freeze on its uranium processing in November.
>
> The U.S., in contrast, severed ties with Iran in 1979 after radical
> students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, holding 52 people hostage
> for 444 days. The U.S. accuses Iran of sponsoring terrorism and has
> imposed unilateral economic sanctions on the country of 70 million,
> forbidding U.S. companies to invest or sell goods such as drilling
> equipment, computers or aircraft.
>
>
>
> To contact the reporter on this story:
> Marc Wolfensberger in Tehran at  mwolfens at bloomberg.net
>
>
>
> Mike Lorrey
> Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
> Founder, Constitution Park Foundation:
> http://constitutionpark.blogspot.com
> Personal/political blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com
>
>
>
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