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Source: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/LE14Cb01.html
An Emerging China-Iran Tandem
(Asia Times-Hong Kong) Richard Javad Heydarian - China is beginning to establish its foothold in the energy-rich Middle East by forging strong ties with regional powers and gradually challenging U.S.-Israel regional dominance. Thanks to decades of double-digit economic growth and accelerating military modernization, China now has both the need for and the capability of engaging the Middle East. Through the 1990s, China provided an increasing amount of ballistic missile technology to Syria. During the Iran-Iraq war, China was a key military supplier for Iran. From the 1980s to 1997, support for nuclear programs became a pivotal element of Beijing's effort to forge a strong partnership with Iran. For Iran, faced with an increasing investment vacuum and international isolation over its nuclear program, China represents a potential remedy for the development of its vast energy resources and a source for modern military technology. China sees Iran as a counter-force to U.S. allies in the region and has contemplated establishing a naval presence in the Persian Gulf. In the past five years, China has emerged as the major investor in Iran, with an estimated $120 billion worth of energy investments. In 2009, China signed over $8 billion in new energy investments. Seemingly, there is an emerging China-Iran tandem.