This thesis examines the continually developing Iranian-Chinese relationship in the Contemporary Era and if it can be classified as a Tacit alliance. Under analysis is the affect that domestic, regional and international developments have had upon the evolution of their political-economic relations and what this reveals about the nature of the relationship itself. This dissertation shows that relations and decisions between the two states are not always based on tangible decrees or treaties but within a framework of unspoken understanding and co-operation. The relationship is influenced by existing historical and cognitive frameworks with regard to foreign policy and economic security. As such the orientation towards this informal alliance is constructed and reinforced by the identities, interests, norms and values of the two societies and perceptions of distance (politically) between one another from the silk road era to the present day, as supported by holistic constructivist theory and cognitive approaches to foreign policy. Iranian-Chinese relations are the creation of myriad factors at many levels of interaction, be they regional, international or historical. However, this thesis focuses on the nature and drivers of their relationship