In this video, Bill Figueroa shared his research on the official and unofficial exchanges between China and Iran. He explores the many layers of interaction and their impact on not only Iran’s foreign relations but also on Iran’s political development. He takes us through Sino-Iranian relations from the 1905 Iranian constitutional revolution until the 1979 revolution, touching on the main events of each country’s histories (including a Chinese comic commenting on the 1951 oil nationalisation crisis). His hybrid approach of diplomatic history and history from below makes for an important piece of research on the transnational links between China and Iran. At the end, we look at how his work bears on the present and how it can respond to the “threatening” rhetoric of a China-Iran deal.

To view this video, click here.