Analysis of the possibility or refusal of a comprehensive strategic partnership in Iran-China relations

Abstract The main objective of this article reviews the possibility of or refusal to the formation of strategic partnership relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Republic of China through relying on cultural and identity foundations of the two countries. Relations between Iran and China have faced with a lot of ups and downs in the period after the Islamic revolution, and this, in turn, has cast serious doubt on the possibility of the formation of the strategic relations between the two sides. However, founding the pattern of strategic partnership is considered as the beginning of a new chapter of strategic relations between Tehran and Beijing. Understanding the relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and China within the aforementioned framework requires knowing the attitudes and viewpoints of the elites of two countries from themselves, each other and intervening actors. In this connection, the present study utilizes the structural theory to test the hypothesis that cultural and identity factors can have a determining role in jeopardizing their strategic relations as it does in forming strategic cooperation pattern in their relations. Research methodology in this study is causative and the method of data collection is also based on a library method done through referring to books, articles, Internet, etc.