TEHRAN (Iran News) Visits by officials to the Yasukuni Shrine, which commemorates Japanese soldiers killed in wars and includes several convicted Class-A war criminals, are a provocative issue that angers China. High-level Japanese officials’ visits to this shrine consistently trigger severe anger from both China and South Korea.

Another deeply rooted dispute concerns the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands—uninhabited islands in the East China Sea that are under Japanese control, though China and Taiwan also claim sovereignty over them. This dispute sometimes leads to clashes between coast guard vessels and anti-Japanese demonstrations in China.

China’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), established in 2013, is an air identification zone, and it recently declared that its air defense coverage extends over the disputed islands. This move was met with strong opposition from Japan and even the United States. Moreover, China views the close security alliance between Japan and the United States as a threat and considers Japan’s military buildup and the presence of American forces there as a risk to its regional stability.

Japan, like many countries, maintains unofficial but close relations with Taiwan. China, which rejects any foreign interference in Taiwan’s affairs, is highly sensitive to any Japanese support for Taiwan’s independence. From Japan’s perspective, however, China’s rapid military growth, modernization, and aggressive activities in the East and South China Seas constitute a major security concern.

Therefore, considering the current global sensitivities in the Asia–U.S. confrontation, these disputes have made China–Japan relations a mix of strategic competition and mutual economic dependence. While trade volume between the two countries is very high, deep distrust stemming from history and geopolitical rivalry prevents true closeness. Any minor incident in the East China Sea or a political statement can quickly escalate tensions. The unresolved and lingering roots of World War II can reignite China’s fire beneath Japan’s ashes and potentially lead it into another major upheaval.

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TEHRAN (Iran News) The agreement commits both sides to enhancing trade relations through the exchange of information and business delegations, facilitating introductions between entrepreneurs, showcasing economic capabilities, and laying the groundwork for broader commercial cooperation.

In his remarks, Najafi Arab emphasized China’s role as Iran’s top trading partner. “China is Iran’s number one partner in foreign trade, both in imports and exports. Our economic relations go back centuries, to the days of the Silk Road,” he said.

Drawing on his experience in pharmaceutical and medical equipment cooperation with Chinese companies, Najafi Arab highlighted how much of Iran’s industrial production depends on Chinese raw materials, intermediate goods, and machinery. He urged Chinese partners to move beyond what he described as “conservative business attitudes” to accelerate joint projects.

Referring to the 25-year strategic partnership agreement between Iran and China, Najafi Arab stressed that the private sector is responsible for implementing its economic and commercial aspects. He noted that frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS could further advance bilateral trade.

The Tehran Chamber president pointed to Khorgos’s strong potential in logistics, trade facilitation, and industrial development. He announced plans to establish an export management company, create a permanent showroom for Iranian products in Khorgos, and even open a Tehran Chamber office in the region.

Najafi Arab also underlined the potential of China’s 100-million-strong Muslim population as a key market for halal Iranian products, while inviting Chinese investment in Iran’s renewable energy and gas industries.

Zantao Li, Deputy Mayor of Khorgos, welcomed the Iranian delegation, highlighting the strategic location of the Khorgos Special Economic Zone, its rail and road infrastructure, and the advantages of its dry port, which connects China by rail to Europe and by road to Russia.

He also noted favorable policies for foreign investors, including tax holidays of up to five years and customs duty exemptions. Li expressed support for the Tehran Chamber’s plan to establish an office in Khorgos, stressing opportunities in agricultural and mineral exports from Iran to China, and the expansion of Chinese goods exports to Iran.

Li suggested that future cooperation could also extend to digital economy initiatives, e-commerce, ICT, and digital currencies.

Chang Li, a Chinese business leader, spoke about the formation of a global trade union last year with members from 39 countries and 87 chambers of commerce. He described it as a family-like network enabling multilateral trade in commodities ranging from Russian crude oil to Australian iron ore and Brazilian sugar. He noted the union also operates barter trade mechanisms through its international cross-border trade committee.

Ali-Akbar Shamani, Deputy for Customs Affairs at Iran’s Customs Administration, who accompanied the Tehran Chamber delegation, briefed attendees on Iran’s fully digitalized customs system, highlighting electronic declaration processes and risk management mechanisms.

Meanwhile, Fereydoun Verdinejad, Secretary-General of the Tehran Chamber, explained the chamber’s current four-year strategic plan, which identifies eight priority value chains and eight target countries for trade expansion: China, Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, India, Oman, Indonesia, and Pakistan. With Khorgos located at the intersection of both China and Kazakhstan, he said, the region is of particular strategic importance.

Verdinejad described the new Tehran–Khorgos memorandum as a “solid cornerstone” for rapid and sustainable development of bilateral trade.

Farzin Ferdos, a member of the TCCIMA board, also addressed the meeting, stressing the need to leverage digital platforms to expand bilateral trade and services. “Cooperation Agreement ”

The event concluded with the official signing of a cooperation memorandum between the Tehran Chamber of Commerce and the Khorgos International Chamber of Commerce, formalized by Mahmoud Najafi Arab and Faming Ma.

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