China and Iran are buddying up
The Biden Administration is left hanging
and there’s more at stake than you may think
Welcome to China Uncensored, I’m Chris Chappell.
Before we begin, the reason this show is possible is thanks to the support from viewers like you.
YouTube would have run us out of business with all the demonetization and shadow banning.
So for as little as a dollar per episode on the crowd funding website Patreon,
you can help us continue to uncensor China.
The Chinese Communist Party is actively making the world a more dangerous place.
One of the ways is by dethroning the US as the global superpower.
And to do that, the Communist Party supports authoritarian regimes around the world.
The latest example:
Iran. China just signed a 25 year deal with Iran worth potentially 400 billion dollars.
That money will go into a variety of Iranian projects. The usual Belt and Road stuff. Ports,
oil, gas. Oh, and did I mention nuclear power?
Wasn’t there something about Iran and nuclear power the world was concerned with?
“U.S. intelligence agencies have long suspected Iran
of using its civilian nuclear program as a cover for clandestine weapons development”—basically,
they’re trying to make nuclear weapons.
And the fun doesn’t stop at nuclear technology. Iran and China “will also
deepen their defense cooperation as China will transfer some military technology.”
Fantastic.
Israel is particularly concerned about that.
So what does China get out of this? Global power and influence. Oh, and oil.
Iran is an international pariah. It has a horrible human rights track
record. That’s why Iran and China can be friends--they have so much in common.
The US ranks Iran as one of the top
state sponsors of terrorism. Not to mention its aggressive nuclear program.
That’s why the Trump Administration put sanctions on Iran.
Now the Biden administration is hoping to use those sanctions as leverage
to get Iran to back off from its nuclear program.
But the new Iran-China deal gives Iran a lot of power. It doesn’t have to come back
to the negotiating table with the US, if it can increase trade with China instead.
In fact, already the China-Iran deal
has forced the Biden Administration to go a little softer on Iran. Soon after that deal was penned,
Biden came to Iran with a new proposal that included more sanctions relief.
Iran desperately needs sanctions relief to prop up its economy. But now it’s also looking at
selling more stuff to China instead of to Europe or other countries that would follow US sanctions.
China imports about 70% of its oil. And now, more of that oil will come from Iran.
“In exchange [for the deal], China would receive a regular and
heavily discounted supply of Iranian oil.”
“The deal helps Iran dodge American sanctions, and the cash infusion
will ease economic pressure on the ruling mullahs.”
So more money for the Iranian regime, and for Iranian backed terrorist groups like Hezbollah.
There’s another part of the deal that potentially weakens the US.
China and Iran want to create a joint bank. It’s unclear how, or even if, this bank would work.
But it’s part of a bigger push by China,
Iran, and Russia to break the US dollar’s hold on global trade and finance.
Nearly all of the 71 countries that are part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
have deals with China that involve US dollars.
And the power of the US dollar is precisely why US sanctions work to rein in regimes like Iran and
North Korea, as well as specific Chinese officials who have been crushing democracy in Hong Kong.
So far all those reasons, China and Iran teaming up is not good for the US and the free world.
And there’s an even bigger problem. America’s enemies are working together up to undermine
what Biden calls the “rules based” international order.
As the Wall Street Journal says, “Think Iran and Russia in Syria;
or China and Russia evading United Nations sanctions to aid North Korea;
or China and Russia working through Cuba to prop up Venezuela’s regime.”
Of course the deal is controversial even inside Iran.
After all, China doesn’t have a great reputation when it comes to these kinds of
bilateral deals. They often end up with the other party getting stuck in a debt trap.
Very little about the deal has been made public. And there’s a push for more details.
But an Iranian spokesperson said they have no legal obligation to publish it.
The agreement was “not an international treaty, or agreement,
and does not require parliamentary approval under this legal interpretation,” he said.
Ah secret deals. Always a plus when you’re a dictator. By the way,
that Iranian spokesperson also, “hinted that China was standing in the way of publication”
Which is always reassuring when the Chinese regime doesn’t want you to know what’s in a deal.
And now it’s time for me to answer a question from a member of the China Uncensored 50 Cent Army,
fans who support the show on Patreon.
Logan asks, “I’ve been listening to a podcast with a lot of Korean War history.
When China invades Taiwan, do you think Xi, like Mao, will be able/willing
to throw his troops into the meat grinder like that conflict?”
Great question. So one of the reasons the Chinese Communist Party is trying to undermine the United
States with things like this Iran Deal, is so when the Chinese regime invades Taiwan,
the US will have less power to stop it—like by sanctioning China.
And if the Communist Party successfully conquers Taiwan, China becomes a superpower.
The world as we know it will change forever. And everyone knows that, including the US and Taiwan.
So they’ll probably put up a good fight. At least I hope so.
Unfortunately, the CCP will be more than willing to sacrifice as many Chinese soldiers
as it needs to. It might not quite be like the human wave attacks in the Korean War,
but in the Communist Party’s view, Chinese soldiers are expendable.
Unlike in America, where the wholesale slaughter of your troops could hurt your
chances of reelection. But that’s the advantage to being an authoritarian leader of a country where
you control the media. The public doesn’t have to be bothered with reports of casualties. In fact,
a war could be pretty good for getting the public to ignore any internal problems
and focus on coming together to defeat the enemy.
Thanks for your question Logan.
And if you’d like me to answer your question, join the China Uncensored 50 cent army for
as little as a dollar per episode. Visit pateron.com/ChinaUncensored to learn more.
Once again I’m Chris Chappell, see you next time.