The Vice Premier Managing Beijing’s Iran Military Links

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As the war in Iran intensifies, attention is turning to a little-known figure inside Xi Jinping’s leadership: Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing.
Before entering politics, Zhang spent decades inside China’s military-industrial complex at NORINCO, one of the country’s largest defense conglomerates. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was stationed in Tehran, helping manage Chinese defense trade and large infrastructure projects in Iran.
Today, Zhang sits on the Communist Party’s Politburo and is widely viewed as one of Beijing’s key figures managing China–Iran military and industrial cooperation.
In this episode, we look at Zhang Guoqing’s unusual career, China’s deep technology and arms links with Iran, and why the outcome of the Iran war could carry unexpected political consequences inside Beijing.
Because every missile shot down over Iran may also be testing the future of one man in Xi Jinping’s inner circle.

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