The Origin of Dinosaurs and Dragons : Archaeological Relations Between Persia and China - Its Future( Part-VI)

             Author : Rumana Reza    

In my previous posts , I've analyzed   how dragons and dinosaurs are sharing the same story. How they are connected to some ancient heroes and aliens.My logic  on this has already explained there . Now I'm gonna show you how the relations between China and  Iran will share end times.

Relations between Iran and China (Ancient Period):

Iran and China are sharing some common ancient histories or having some anthropological relations that needed a glance here. They refer to the historic diplomatic, cultural and economic relations between the cultures of China proper and Greater Iran.

In Mythology:

 Kay Kāvus (Persian: كيكاوس‎; Avestan: Kauui Usan); sometimes Kai-Káús or Kai-Kaus, is a mythological shah of Iran and a character in the Shāhnāmeh. He is the son of Kay Qobād and the father of prince Seyāvash. Kāvus rules Iran for one hundred and fifty years during which he is frequently though increasingly grudgingly aided by the famous hero Rostam. He is succeeded by his grandson Kai Khosrow.The Flying Throne of Kay Kāvus was a legendary eagle-propelled craft built by Kay Kāvus, used for flying the king all the way to China.

  

Cyrus the Great from Persia and China:

I’ve already discussed here why I have tried to build a bridge between Cyrus the Great , son of Cambyses and China. If we compare the two following pictures, it will be clearer.

Black and white crop of full plate scan, from Austen Henry Layard's 'Monuments of Nineveh, Second Series' plate 19/83, London, J. Murray, 1853

A bronze coin (5 Shu, 五銖) of the en:Han Dynasty (China) - circa 1st century BCE. The most mass circulated coin in Han China.

Both the pictures above have a common ‘hexdent’ sign. Weapons that shown in Cyrus’ hands to kill the dragons or griffins, are hexdent. On the other hand, that bronze coin having that sign too.

Official Recorded Relations:

The ancient Parthians and Sassanid empires (occupying much of present Iran and Central Asia) had various contacts with the Han and Tang Dynasty empires occupying what is now the People's Republic of China. The two lands were further connected via the Silk Road.

Parthian era

The 138–126 BCE travels of Zhang Qian to the West, Mogao Caves, 618–712 CE mural

The Chinese explorer Zhang Qian, who visited the neighbouring countries of Bactria and Sogdiana in 126 BCE, made the first known Chinese report on Parthia. In his accounts Parthia is named "Ānxī" (Chinese: 安息), a transliteration of "Arsacid", the name of the Parthian dynasty. Zhang Qian clearly identifies Parthia as an advanced urban civilization, which he equates to those of Dayuan (in Ferghana) and Daxia (in Bactria).

"Anxi is situated several thousand li west of the region of the Great Yuezhi (in Transoxonia). The people are settled on the land, cultivating the fields and growing rice and wheat. They also make wine out of grapes. They have walled cities like the people of Dayuan (Ferghana), the region contains several hundred cities of various sizes. The coins of the country are made of silver and bear the face of the king. When the king dies, the currency is immediately changed and new coins issued with the face of his successor. The people keep records by writing on horizontal strips of leather. To the west lies Tiaozi (Mesopotamia) and to the north Yancai and Lixuan (Hyrcania)." (Shiji, 123, Zhang Qian quote, trans. Burton Watson).

Following Zhang Qian's embassy and report, commercial relations between China, Central Asia, and Parthia flourished, as many Chinese missions were sent throughout the 1st century BCE: "The largest of these embassies to foreign states numbered several hundred persons, while even the smaller parties included over 100 members… In the course of one year anywhere from five to six to over ten parties would be sent out." (Shiji, trans. Burton Watson).

The Parthians were apparently very intent on maintaining good relations with China and also sent their own embassies, starting around 110 BC: "When the Han envoy first visited the kingdom of Anxi (Parthia), the king of Anxi dispatched a party of 20,000 horsemen to meet them on the eastern border of the kingdom… When the Han envoys set out again to return to China, the king of Anxi dispatched envoys of his own to accompany them… The emperor was delighted at this." (Shiji,123, trans. Burton Watson.

Parthians also played a role in the Silk Road transmission of Buddhism from Central Asia to China. An Shih Kao, a Parthian nobleman and Buddhist missionary, went to the Chinese capital Luoyang in 148 CE where he established temples and became the first man to translate Buddhist scriptures into Chinese.

Sassanid era

Like their predecessors the Parthians, the Sassanid Empire maintained active foreign relations with China, and ambassadors from Persia frequently travelled to China. Chinese documents record thirteen Sassanid embassies to China. Commercially, land and sea trade with China was important to both the Sassanid and Chinese Empires. Large numbers of Sassanid coins have been found in southern China, confirming maritime trade.

On various occasions, Sassanid kings sent their most talented Persian musicians and dancers to the Chinese imperial court. Both empires benefited from trade along the Silk Road, and shared a common interest in preserving and protecting that trade. They cooperated in guarding the trade routes through central Asia, and both built outposts in border areas to keep caravans safe from nomadic tribes and bandits.

During the Liang Dynasty in China, in 547 a Persian embassy paid tribute to the Liang, amber was recorded as originating from Persia by the Liang Shu (Book of Liang).

There are record of several joint Sassanid and Chinese efforts against their common Hephtalite enemy. Following encroachments by the nomadic Turkic on states in Central Asia, we also see what looks like a collaboration between Chinese and Sassanid forces to repel the Turkic advances. Documents from Mt. Mogh also note the presence of a Chinese general in the service of the king of Sogdiana at the time of the Arab invasions.

Following the invasion of Iran by Muslim Arabs, Pirooz, son of Yazdegerd III, escaped along with a few Persian nobles and took refuge in the Chinese imperial court. Both Piroz and his son Narsieh (Chinese neh-shie) were given high titles at the Chinese court. At least in two occasions, last one possibly in 670, Chinese troops were sent with Pirooz in order to restore him to the Sassanid throne with mixed results, one possibly ending up in a short rule of Pirooz in Sistan (Sakestan) from which we have a few remaining numismatic evidence. Narsieh later attained the position of commander of the Chinese imperial guards and his descendants lived in China as respected princes.

Future of the Relations between Iran and China:

As of 2014, China's public opinion of Iran was viewed at 30%, slightly up from 26% in 2013. That means Iran is slowly getting a positive image to China. On July 20,2015, The UN Security Council voted    unanimously  this morning to approve the deal negotiated between Iran and the P5+1 (France, UK, Russia, China, the United States and Germany). The deal lifts international sanctions against Iran in exchange for Iran limiting its nuclear program. The deal also includes snap-back provisions if Iran is found to be out of compliance. And thus China wasn’t against Iran.

There are also some other sectors that could be  played as determinants to the future of Sino-Persian relations. 

 

Empress Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi and Prime Minister Hoveyda, staat visit, China, 1972

Oil and Gas:

One of the main pillars of the relationship between China and Iran is oil and gas. According to Wikipedia, China switched to petroleum primarily to get their energy supply off of coal. There was a rapid increase in oil importation from 1974 into the 1990s.In 2011, approximately 10% of China's oil imports were from Iran. Approximately 80% of China’s total imports from Iran are oil and the rest is mineral and chemical products. Because of this reliance on Iranian oil and gas, China is now investing in the modernization of Iran’s oil and gas sector to secure access to the resource. The China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) was granted an $85 million contract to drill 19 wells in the natural gas fields in Southern Iran and signed another similar $13 million contract.Then again in 2004, an agreement was reached where China would import 270 million tons of natural gas over 30 years from South Par fields which is the richest natural gas fields in the world for $70 billion. Another Chinese company, Sinopec Group, gets half-share in Yardarvaran oil fields worth about 100 billion for the purpose of exploration. Later in 2007, CNPC signed a $3.6 billion deal to develop offshore gas fields in Iran and then signed another $2 billion contract to develop the northern Iranian oil field near Ahvaz. Not only is China helping to develop the oil and gas sector, but China supports Iran’s ambitions to bring Caspian Sea oil and gas to Southern Iranian ports through pipelines so the resources can be exported to Europe and Asia. Iran relies upon its oil sales to China to ensure its fiscal well-being. China also sells gasoline to Iran despite international pressures that have halted Iran’s ability to get gasoline from other suppliers.

China finds in Iran a permanent partner for its exports and a source for its growing energy demand. In March 2004, Zhuhai Zhenrong Corporation, a Chinese state-run company, signed a 25-year contract to import 110 million metric tons of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) from Iran. This was followed by another contract between Sinopec and Iran LNG, signed in October of the same year. The deal, worth $100 billion, adds an extra 250 million tons of LNG to China's energy supply, to be extracted from Iran's Yadavaran field over a 25-year period. In January 2009, Iran and China signed a $1.76bn contract for the initial development of the North Azadegan oil field in western Iran. In March the two countries struck a three-year $3.39 billion deal to produce liquefied natural gas in Iran's mammoth South Pars natural gas field. Because of its limited refining capacity Iran imports one third of its refined products such as petrol from China.

 

In 2011, the group Green Experts of Iran reported that Beijing and Tehran had signed an extensive deal that would give China exclusive rights to several Iranian oil and natural gas fields through 2024. Under the terms of the deal, Iran will give Chinese oil companies exclusive rights to three large regions of Iranian land as well as the rights to build all necessary infrastructure for these regions, all of which sit atop of large oil and natural gas fields. In return, China promises to treat any foreign attack against these regions as attacks against its own sovereign territory, and will defend them as such. China will have no need for prior permission from the Iranian government to maintain and increase its military presence in Iran, and will control the movement of Iranians in and out of these territories. The Green Experts of Iran speculate that this agreement was the concrete basis for Major General Zhang Zhaozhong's statement that "China will not hesitate to protect Iran even with a third World War."

 

Trade:

 

There existed unofficial trade relations between Iran and China during the cold war and steadily increased. Trade reached 1.627 billion in the 1980s and 15 billion in 2007. In 2001, the volume of trade between Iran and China stood at roughly $3.3 billion, and in 2005, the volume of Sino-Iranian trade hit US$ 9.2 billion.Iran's Deputy Minister of Commerce Mehdi Ghazanfari speculated that trade exchanges between Iran and China would exceed $25 billion in 2008. In 2005, exports from China represented 8.3% of the total import market in Iran, giving China the second largest share of the market after Germany. China's exports to Iran have experienced particularly rapid growth in the past five years, with China replacing Japan as the world's second largest exporter to Iran. Iran's imports from China rose by 360% between 2000 and 2005.China is now responsible for about 9.5% of all Iranian imports. In 1988, the Iranian market opened up to Chinese industry when the PRC began economic restructuring. Once profitable trade relations were established, The PRC invested in Tehran’s subway systems, dams, fishery, and cement factories while Iran helped supply China with the highly desired minerals coal, zinc, lead, and copper. Trade between the two states also included power generation, mining, and transportation equipment along with arms and consumer goods such as electronics, auto parts, and toys. Iran–China trade value reached $45 billion in 2011 and is expected to increase to $50 billion by 2012.

Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's former representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that the two countries "mutually complement each other. They have industry and we have energy resources". Now, with a mammoth $46 billion investment, China plans to build a modern version of the Silk Road through Pakistan and beyond. And that could be a new door to see the relations between two. 

 Sino-Iran The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Policywatch 2435, 11 June 2015,www.kevjnlim.com

Political:

 

 Military

China is believed to have helped Iran militarily in the following areas: conduct training of high-level officials on advanced systems, provide technical support, supply specialty steel for missile construction, provide control technology for missile development, build a missile factory and test range. It is rumored that China is responsible for aiding in the development of advanced conventional weapons including surface-to-air missiles, combat aircraft, radar systems, and fast-attack missile vessels. It wasn’t until the 1990s that the relationship between China and Iran came under close scrutiny by the United States. From this scrutiny it became known that China was using North Korea to traffic arms during the Iran-Iraq war to avoid antagonizing the West but later cut out the middle man. In the years of 1984–1986, about $1–2 billion worth of arms sales occurred. And then in 1986, Iran obtained Chinese-made anti-ship surface-to-surface missiles that posed a threat to Persian Gulf shipping. In possessing these missiles, Iran is able to control the Straits of Hormuz and all of the naval trade to and from the Gulf countries. In later inquiries, it was discovered that China sold Iran precursor and dual-use chemicals and the technology and equipment needed to use them. In 1996, the Washington Post exposed that China was supplying chemical weapons plants in Iran that were destined for the Army. Arms exports began to steadily decline in the 1990s yet China engaged in $400 million worth of arms transfer agreements with Iran. Sales increased to $600 million from 1997-2000. On average, it is estimated that China made $171 million per year in arms exports to Iran since 1982.

 

Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear cooperation began in the 1980s when China helped build a research reactor and supply four other research reactors. Continued aid came in the form of helping Iran construct a uranium hexafluoride enrichment plant near Isfahan and resume construction on a nuclear power plant at Bushehr that was left uncompleted by the French and Germans. In 1991, nuclear exports to Iran were discovered by the International Atomic Energy Association, which contained three types of uranium. A 1990 covert nuclear agreement was also discovered. This discovery was followed by an unprecedented nuclear cooperation agreement in 1992. The agreement was signed despite US protests to have China limit its nuclear cooperation with Iran. Direct nuclear cooperation has ended but there is speculation over whether there remains indirect nuclear cooperation. For example, in 2005, 7 Chinese firms were suspected of selling nuclear weapons technology and all 7 had sanctions placed upon them. Those firms were banned from trading with the United States for two years. There also continues to be Chinese nuclear experts, scientists, and technicians present in Iran. Now, China opposes Iran’s possible production and possession of nuclear weapons but does not see the urgency to stop it.

 

Politics and Ideology

The political and economic ties between China and Iran are not ironclad. China has been careful in deals with Iran while simultaneously trying not to antagonize China’s relationship with the US. The cooperation emerges partly from Chinese and Iranian recognition as a fellow heir to a great civilization and because Iran has emerged as the regional leader in the Middle East. There is also a shared distrust of the United States. There is also Iranian admiration for China’s rapid economic growth. But with that growth, China has become the scapegoat for the problems in Iranian politics yet their economic contributions to Iran are appreciated and respected.

Iran can use its links with China to build more links across Asia while remaining insulated from US attack.

Iran,China and UN

Iran did not originally support China’s bid for United Nations membership but did not veto it. It wasn’t until 1969 that Iran displayed open support for China’s membership. Now, it is seen that Iran relies upon China’s membership and especially Chinese veto power on the Security Council to protect it from UN or US led action. China is known for its opposition of sanctions against another state and favors diplomatic efforts. This tradition includes China’s position on UN sanctions against Iran in the past. In 1980, China refused to support the UN arms embargo against Iran and abstained from voting on US-based sanctions against Iran as well. It was not until 2010 that China entertained the idea of joining in on the economic sanctions presented against Iran. China supported the 2010 UN sanctions which caused some tension and reevaluation of Iranian-Chinese relations. In retaliation, Iran briefly aroused interest in the plight of Muslims in China.

Social:

There are several social connections between the two states. The two societies psychologically identify with one another because they both share the national pride and historical identity that comes along with being descendant of two great empires. Despite the psychological difference, there existed limited interactions after the Chinese Revolution in 1949 but social interactions improved after the 1960s. Now there exists open support for the other regime as seen in Iran’s support of the action at Tienanmen Square and Chinese condemnation of the United States’ attack on an Iranian passenger plane. Even Chinese state-ran news agencies upheld the validity of the internationally controversial election and ultimately attributed any problems that day to terrorists and vandals. They purposefully left out images of Iranian security forces brutalizing the protesters. The Iranian media does not always adhere to a favorable view of China. Iranian media constantly complains about Chinese price gouging, material inferiority, and that the cheap Chinese imports are driving small Iranian businesses out of business. Despite some of the bad press China has attracted in Iran, about 2,000 Chinese now live in Tehran and 70 Chinese companies relocated to Iran. Recently, Tehran has experienced the introduction of Chinese restaurants into cultural life.

 

[Sources:https://en.wikipedia.org ]

 

Shanghai Cooperation Organization:

 

On July9, 2015, in Ufa, the capital city of Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan, the 15^th summit meeting of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held. This meeting was about to have a discussion on problems between Russia and the West over the crisis in Ukraine. Besides this, simultaneous with the final steps taken toward Iran nuclear deal by Tehran and the P5+1 group of countries was also in that agenda. The SCO has been considered as one of the most important Asian actors in international system in interactions among big world powers since the end of the Cold War. This may facilitate future studies on relations between Iran and China.  From Iran's viewpoint, membership in the SCO, as a cooperative, regional and east-oriented organization, would be a step toward establishment of a multi polar balance-seeking world system in the twenty first century, when Asia is constantly being emerged as rising power.

 

 

                                                          Iranians cheer nuclear deal www.bilaspurnewsflash.in

 

 Analysis:

So,the discussions above indicate that Iran and China have some strong interdependence that might influence their relations to be stronger in near future. According to some Muslim scholars, Dajjal would be arisen from Iran. Though there is no authentic source regarding this yet, history indicates that Iran might be a part of key power in end times. And at present, we are observing the new transformation of Iran. It has become more powerful that  couldn't be denied by rest of the world powers. People of Iran are being westernized also . Often women are seen as out of veil there now. On the other hand,China has already emerged as economical tycoon. Now it is one of the most important members of super power group.  Yajooj and Majooj are related to end times. If they really exist in China, then the relation between Iran and China is not only meant for the near future; but also be significant for end times.Moreover,the structure of Shanghai Cooperation reminding us that ancient silk road; the great empire of Cyrus the Great where including Iran,China and Eurasia, was the nerve point of the world. Recently, there are some parts of the Great Wall of China are being broken due to the miss deeds of  some village people. After having thousands years of glory , suddenly this kind of crack might be a warning.

  

To be continued.............

  Copyright © 2015 by Rumana Reza

Empress Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi and Prime Minister Hoveyda, staat visit, China, 1972