Simulation Report: China

INTL 1050 W1
Celine Dion
Country Representative: Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping
• In 2016 Xi Jinping was elevated to the title of being the Communist Party
“core” leader, a title previously given to Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping.
• Since Xi’s presidency in 2012 he has been viewed as showing favor to
privation-friendly reforms as well as other new approaches to China’s
structure.
• Xi has been recognized as fighting hard against corruption and strongly
supporting greater economic and security alliances, making him different
from his predecessors.
• In 2016 Xi was ranked by Forbes as being the fourth most powerful
person in the world.
Map & Flag
Role Profile
• Political Agenda: China’s current political agenda is a rationality
position in which they plan on pursuing their own interests in what
will ultimately benefit them. That being stated Iran currently conducts
trade with China in the form of oil, making the relationship between
the two states important.
• Background: China’s national interests are to maintain its growing
economy and energy security by continuing trade with Iran. The oil
supplied by Iran is important to China’s economy, which means
diplomatic relations with Iran are a priority.
Short Term Political Objectives
• For China to maintain its energy security.
• To continually buy oil from Iran that has become an important part of
China’s economy.
Long Term Political Objectives
• China’s long term political objective is to further develop and strengthen the
strategy created by Xi Jinping of “New Silk Road Economic Zone.”
• This strategy relies on China’s “great neighbor diplomacy” in which China
shares interests in other states such as political and economic interests and
prioritizes building and maintaining better relationships with these states.
• This is then viewed as an economic belt with the ability to connect China to
Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, and parts of eastern Europe.
• This partially leads to China’s favor of the nuclear deal and having Iran grow
because Iran could become a much more beneficial ally based on this plan. If
Iran is able to further develop, this plan could lead to smoother economic
relations between China and Iran.
Map of New Silk Roads
Allies/Opponents to China on Iran Nuclear
Deal
Allies Opponents
• Iran • United Nations
• Russia • United States
• European Union
Timeline of Major Events (2002-Present)
• August, 2002: The western intelligence services along with the Iranian
opposition group revealed the location of a covert nuclear site in
Natanz. This was then followed by an inspection by the United Nation’s
International Atomic Energy Agency which revealed that the site was
used to enrich uranium, which is a process for either producing fuel or
nuclear warheads. The IAEA then accused Tehran of attempting to hide
the evidence of nuclear experiments.
• June, 2006: A group of states made up of China, France, Russia, Britain,
France, Germany, and the United States form the P5+1 group of
nations, with the purpose of trying to persuade Iran to curb its nuclear
program.
Timeline of Major Events (2002-Present)
• December, 2006: The United Nations Security Council imposed its first set
of sanctions on Iran, which banned the sale of sensitive nuclear
technology. China as well as Russia are in favor of less severe measures to
be used against Iran throughout the negotiating process.
• June, 2010: China and Iran’s possible economic relationship was shown
through the president of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce
predicting that the annual trade between Iran and China would reach $50
billion in the next five years.
• January, 2011: The negotiations between Iran and the six world powers
reach a stall in what becomes a fifteen month hiatus, while Iran
continually refuses to make deep cuts into its nuclear program.
Timeline of Major Events (2002-Present)
• January, 2012: The United States acted under the Amended Iran
Sanctions Act in order to sanction three Chinese, UAE, and Singapore
firms.
• July, 2015: The world powers and Iran successfully communicate and
announce a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement.
• January, 2016: The President of China, Xi Jinping visited Iran, which
during the visit Chinese and Iranian officials signed a total of 17
agreements in energy, industry, transportation, technology, and other
fields.
Opening Statement
• China has allied itself with Iran for their attempts to become more involved
in the allowance of using nuclear energy. We find that Iran’s ability to grow
will only enhance our current relationship so that both of our states can
continue to prosper. The more Iran grows the larger it will be able to
contribute to globalization and benefit its current trading partners including
China. We continue to hold a strong stance that war should be avoided at all
cost and therefore condemn any actions taken by Iran to misuse nuclear
energy in an attempt to make weapons along with any other factors that
would contribute to war. We find Iran to currently be an important trade
partner as well as an ally to China and therefore wish for them to continually
grow and become more successful which will later allow for more trade and
stronger ties between Iran and China.
Position Summary
• China is in favor of the Iran Nuclear Deal and supports Iran in its
efforts.
• China has issued these official statements on the Iran Nuclear Deal:
• “Iran is entitled to peaceful use of nuclear energy, and should honor its
international obligations.”
• “Final settlement of the Iran nuclear issue should depend on dialogue,
negotiation and other means of cooperation.”
• “China does not favor unilateral sanctions against Iran.”
Position Summary
• China’s main national interests related to the Iran Nuclear Deal are to
avoid war and continue and maintain their energy security.
• The strategies that China is using to deal with the nuclear crisis while
advancing its own interests are supporting Iran in order to improve
China’s future interests.
Desired Outcome
• The desired outcome would be for Iran to benefit from the nuclear
deal to peacefully use nuclear energy in order grow as a country,
which would benefit China since an ally growing and becoming
prosperous can lead to more beneficial relationships.
• By having both the United States and Iran continuing to have a
relationship in which trade and business can be conducted would be
optimal. This would lead to China continuing to grow in multiple areas
and overall succeed in its own interests.
Worst Case Scenario
• The worst case scenario for China would be any event in which the
Iran Nuclear Deal leads to a war, either by countries protesting to the
Iran Nuclear Deal or by Iran misusing the nuclear deal to create
weapons.
• Any result in which China is impacted negatively, specifically any
hindrances to China’s energy security or trading relationships.
China & Iran
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani meeting
with Chinese President Xi Jinping
Both are considered to be State Actors in
relation to International Relations,
specifically titled as “state leaders” for their
respective countries.
Theories and Concepts in International
Relations
Globalization
• China’s actions in order to improve relations with Iran as well as the
ideals behind the New Silk Road show the international relation’s
topic of globalization. In order to improve relations through the Iran
nuclear situation China seems to believe this will lead to a
strengthening of globalization in particular to the concept of
international trade.
Social Theory
• China’s identity as a state reflects through the Iran nuclear situation
that it wishes to be perceived as a state strongly supports peace
between states. As well that it wishes to continually be known as a
strong economic state that endeavors to have successful trade and
business practices between multiple states.
Realist Theory
• From a Realist Theory perspective China can be seen as viewing the
Iran nuclear situation in terms of sovereignty. China feels that Iran has
the right to do what it desires in its own state in terms of utilizing
nuclear energy. At the same time Iran should not interfere in the
internal affairs of other states, which would be caused by Iran
misusing nuclear advances to create weapons that would potentially
harm other states.
Liberal Theory
• From a Liberal Theory perspective the way in which China is
approaching the Iran nuclear situation appears to be a overall goal of
peace and mutual cooperation between states. China’s view of
maintaining peace and thus building better relationships can be
assessed as a type of liberal institutionalism that is attempting to
create a cooperative and mutually advantageous environment
without creating a formal organization.
Bibliography
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http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/china-and-the-iran-nuclear-deal/
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http://www.cbsnews.com/media/iran-nuclear-agreement-timeline/4/
• Chunshan, M. (2013, November 27). The Iranian Nuclear Question: China's Perspective. Retrieved February 12,
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• Djallil, L. (2011). China and the Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Between Ambiguities and Interests. European Journal Of
East Asian Studies, 10(2), 227-253. doi:10.1163/156805811X616138
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iranprimer.usip.org/resource/timeline-irans-foreign-relations
• Pevehouse, J. C., & Goldstein, J. S. (2017). International relations. Boston: Pearson.
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Its Perception of EU Unilateral Iran Sanctions. European Journal Of East Asian Studies, 12(2), 295-316.
doi:10.1163/15700615-3120207
• Xi Jinping. (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/profile/xi-jinping/
Bibliography (Images)
• ABA’s International Human Rights Award – What Does it Mean? (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2017, from
http://chinalawandpolicy.com/tag/xi-jinping/
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