During the summer, reports of a new partnership between Iran and China raised concerns about what it could mean for the deteriorating relationship between the United States and China. But as weeks went by and details remained vague, it became less apparent that any deal was imminent, or even what an eventual deal would involve.
William Figueroa recently earned his Ph.D. in history, and his dissertation is a historical survey of Sino-Iranian relations from the early 1900s to the foundation of the Islamic Republic. It focuses on the impact of Maoist politics on the Iranian left. His research shows that both Iranian and Chinese intellectuals were aware of and inspired by one another’s political movements, which culminated in a series of robust, unofficial connections between Iranian Communist organizations and the Chinese Communist Party.
“He has studied both Chinese and Persian and incorporates sources from both countries in his painstaking and pioneering research,” says his advisor, Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet, Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History. “He is one of a handful of young Western scholars trained to do so.”
Penn Today talked with Figueroa about how he started tracing the relationship between Iran and China and to get his take on the news of the partnership, and what it could mean for the U.S.
For the entire interview: https://penntoday.upenn.edu/news/iran-china-partnership-reported-new-deal-relationship-going-back-antiquity