Chinese whispers

by Gareth Smith November 3, 2010

written by Gareth Smith November 3, 2010

With Russia, we remember centuries of territorial disputes, with the British their past control of our oil, and with the Americans we remember them supporting the Shah,” says a leading business journalist in Tehran. “There is no memory of China in our contemporary history, and therefore little emotion.” On the other hand, Iranians are wary of cheap Chinese goods that have — as in so many countries — flooded the market, bankrupting domestic textile and shoe manufacturers. And there are rumbles too over the quality of Chinese technology in building the Tehran metro. As a result, mixed feelings over China abound in Tehran as Iran’s relationship with Beijing becomes crucial both to its economy and its international policy. As the latest wave of United States-led sanctions squeeze Iran’s trading partners, including South Korea, many Iranian analysts are nervous about overdependence. This is political as well as economic; China now

Gareth Smith

Gareth Smith was a distinguished journalist who reported from the Middle East for over two decades. He served as the Financial Times correspondent in Tehran, where he was the chief Iran correspondent from 2003, following his earlier role as Lebanon correspondent. Throughout his career, Smith covered Middle Eastern affairs for leading media outlets, including The Financial Times, The Guardian, and the BBC. He also contributed as an editor to Executive magazine. His work as a freelance journalist in the 1990s, focusing on the politics of Iran and Iraq, paved the way for his appointment at the FT. In 2009, he relocated to the west coast of Ireland, where he balanced freelance journalism with his passion for nature and the land.

Chinese whispers

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