Bilateral relations

Background: Diverse and wide-ranging capacities have led to a special dynamic in bilateral relations between Iran and China in recent years. So that in different areas, these bilateral relations have been constantly expanding and deepening. From this point of view, the present article aimed to examine the role of ethics in economic diplomacy and its impact on the relations between Iran and China in recent years. Method: The present study was conducted in a descriptive-analytical manner. The present study investigated the subject by studying, classifying and analyzing scientific articles in the relevant field that were published between 2005 and 2021 in the citation databases of Magiran, Science Direct, PubMed, and ISC. Conclusion: Based on the studies, it was concluded that the role of ethics in economic diplomacy is considered important due to the interdependencies and mutual economic needs of the two countries, especially in recent years. The Islamic Republic of Iran for reasons such as the goals of the vision document, the need for energy markets, reducing and mitigating Western pressures, the need to have a relationship with China and its investment to achieve development, and reciprocally China due to development-oriented foreign policy The growing need for energy and security in its supply, the need to launch a Silk Road strategy to access global markets, tends to the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing war, Russia lost a significant portion of its gas market in Europe. This market had been a crucial tool for bargaining and exerting pres-sure on the West, and it also brought substantial economic benefits to Moscow. This was espe-cially true for gas exports to Germany, which had seen the construction of the Nord Stream pipe-line, with plans for Nord Stream 2 also underway before the war began, leading to the halting of both projects. Consequently, energy relations between Russia and Europe deteriorated. Following the Ukraine war, Europe was compelled to secure its gas supply from the United States, despite incurring significantly higher costs. Currently, the U.S. is the largest supplier of gas to Europe. This process led Russia to seek alternative markets for its gas exports. China and India, two ma-jor global consumers, are markets Russia is eager to capture. Currently, Russia is China's largest supplier of gas. Although a large gas pipeline already delivers Russian gas to China, Moscow isn't content with this alone and aims to diversify its methods of product delivery. Iran is a cru-cial option for Russia to transport gas, as it is close to India and can also meet some of China's needs. Furthermore, Russia is considering physically connecting its economic interests with the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, particularly the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Rus-sia believes that by doing so, it can establish a major gas economic bloc and become a counter-weight to competitors, especially the United States. From this perspective, it could be argued that the Iran-Russia gas pipeline is, in fact, a replacement for Nord Stream and could transform Iran into a regional energy hub. This article aims to explore the possibility of Iran becoming a region-al energy hub through economic cooperation with Russia in the energy sector, thoroughly exam-ining the opportunities and challenges involved. The research method employed was SWOT analysis.