Replication Data for: Moving Beyond Geopolitics, China-Iran BRI Relations: A Geoeconomic Perspective

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the largest regional development project in the world's development history. It is estimated that Chinese companies will invest up to $1.2 trillion in infrastructure development in Asia and elsewhere in the coming years. However, there are many obstacles to the successful implementation of this initiative in the host countries. Geographical factors, local culture, geopolitical contestation, public attitudes, institutional capacity, and governance quality can affect BRI megaprojects. These challenges can substantially diminish BRI coherence and prevent its effective implementation. This study aimed to develop an analytical framework for exploring the risks associated with and challenges of BRI projects in Iran. To this end, all risks were categorized into three broad groups: operational, financial, and geopolitical. The results showed that Iran generally faces many internal and external challenges in attracting foreign investment. The critical question raised here is, \"Why is Iran receiving substantial investment from Chinese companies despite its unfavorable business environment?\" A geoeconomic approach was used to develop a theoretical framework to explain the Iran-China BRI relations. In this context, Iran's geoeconomic significance is the main factor encouraging the flow of Chinese investment into the country. The BRI comprises mostly functional cooperation between China and countries along the Silk Road based on a specific geospatial environment. Iran's geospatial environment encourages Chinese investments in infrastructure, the main content of functional cooperation to a large extent.‘一带一路’倡议（Belt and Road Initiative, BRI）是世界发展史上规模最大的区域性发展项目。据估算，未来数年中国企业将在亚洲及其他地区的基础设施建设领域投入最高达1.2万亿美元的资金。然而，该倡议在东道国的顺利推进仍面临诸多阻碍。地理因素、本土文化、地缘政治博弈、公众态度、制度能力与治理质量等，均会对‘一带一路’大型项目产生影响。这些挑战会大幅削弱‘一带一路’倡议的协同性，阻碍其有效落地实施。本研究旨在构建一套分析框架，用以探究伊朗境内‘一带一路’项目面临的各类风险与挑战。为此，本研究将所有风险划分为三大类别：运营风险、财务风险与地缘政治风险。研究结果显示，伊朗在吸引外商投资方面普遍面临诸多内外部挑战。本研究提出的核心问题为："尽管伊朗的营商环境欠佳，为何仍能获得中国企业的大额投资？"本研究采用地缘经济研究方法，构建了一套理论框架用以阐释伊朗与中国在‘一带一路’框架下的合作关系。在此语境下，伊朗的地缘经济价值是推动中国对该国投资流入的核心因素。‘一带一路’倡议主要基于特定地理空间环境，开展中国与丝路沿线国家间的功能性合作。伊朗的地理空间环境在很大程度上推动了中国对其基础设施领域的投资，而基础设施建设正是功能性合作的核心内容。