Iran’s wartime experience ...
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Marandi expressed hope that Iran would draw more extensively on China’s governance experience, enabling the country to accelerate its development in the years ahead, once the US-Israeli war against Iran comes to an end.
“After this war comes to an end, and it will come to an end with our victory, no doubt, we should strengthen our relationship with China not on just in the fields of technology and industry, but also to work more closely with one another at the intellectual level and perhaps we would be able to have a joint project together with regards to governance and one of their programs would perhaps be held in Iran.”
Marandi also argued that Iran could contribute to the global governance initiative by drawing on its experience of managing the country and maintaining its resilience during the war waged by the United States and Israel.
He said Iran would become by far the most influential actor in West Asia in the coming years, adding that perceptions of the country’s regional importance and influence had already begun to change.
“Since yesterday literally everyone who I’ve spoken to has been absolutely stunned by Iran’s competence and performance in this existential war and they look at the Iranian experience with great respect.”
According to Marandi, Iran’s ability to preserve its sovereignty, strength and dignity while facing immense pressure from a sinister adversary was itself an important example of governance.
“So hopefully with the experience that Iran has had on the battlefield and off battlefield, the Iranians and the Chinese can work together more closely intellectually with regards to the issues of global governance and building a better future.”
Importance of global perspective on governance
Marandi said one of the biggest mistakes in discussions on governance was to approach the subject exclusively through a traditional Eurocentric perspective.
He argued that Western countries had long presented their own systems as the ideal model of governance, even as they faced serious challenges at the intellectual, economic and social levels. He also criticized the harm the West had inflicted on other countries, including Iran, through nearly 48 years of antagonism and, to put it bluntly, criminal behavior, simply because Iran sought to preserve its sovereignty.
“Any decent intellectual and thinker, any independent-minded educated person first of all would contemplate looking at governance from alternative perspectives to learn from the different models,” he said.
China, Marandi argued, offers an important example of a country whose development achievements warrant closer examination. By understanding the factors behind its success, other countries could identify lessons relevant to their own governance systems and development paths.
He added that studying different governance models was valuable in itself, while dialogue among friendly countries and intellectuals from around the world could further deepen mutual understanding and create conditions for more effective collective decision-making and, ultimately, better global governance.
Marandi described the Forum as an important platform for bringing people together, exchanging perspectives and building a shared understanding of how to shape a better future.