Digital Oppression- China’s Playbook For Iran
China’s large-scale efforts to control the Internet has become a viable conceptual and technical model for authoritarian regimes, like Iran's Islamic Republic.

Contributor
Ghazal Vaisi is an Iranian born international affairs analyst focusing on China. Her hope is to provide an objective global perspective and offer the Iranian people the information they need to protect their livelihood and interests.
China’s large-scale efforts to control the Internet has become a viable conceptual and technical model for authoritarian regimes, like Iran's Islamic Republic.
China is now the single largest investor and trading partner to 11 Middle Eastern countries, thanks primarily to its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global, multi-trillion-dollar project.
China seeks to expand its influence in the Middle East by opening the first consulate in a strategic Iranian trade and military port.