The latest invasion

IN BIG Persian letters, the teacher shapes the word ertibat, meaning relationship, on the white board of a language class for adult foreigners in the industrial town of Qazvin, 140km (87 miles) north-east of Tehran, Iran’s capital. By way of defining the word, she asks: “Does Iran have a good relationship with Germany?” “It’s very complicated,” ventures the only German in the class, with a nervous laugh. Inverting the question, the teacher tries again: “What country has a good relationship with the Islamic Republic?” “China!” shout the 12 young Chinese men and women who make up the rest of the class. Five years ago, Chinese students made up around a tenth of the students at the school. Now they are roughly half.

Even as America and other Western governments have tightened economic sanctions against Iran with the aim of forcing it to curb its nuclear ambitions, China has continued to strengthen its links with the Islamic Republic. Iran’s oil, which generates around 80% of government revenues, is increasingly flowing towards refineries in China, which is now its biggest trading partner.