The China-brokered reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia shows dialogue and negotiation can bridge seemingly intractable differences

On March 10, China, Saudi Arabia and Iran issued a joint statement in Beijing, announcing that Saudi Arabia and Iran had reached an agreement to restore diplomatic relations between the two sides and set a clear road map and a timetable for improving their relations. The reconciliation agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which ended the seven-year hostility and decades of political confrontation, has been highly praised by countries around the world, including those in the Middle East.

Saudi Arabia and Iran are both major powers in the Middle East and have significant geopolitical influence in the region. For years, the two countries have been in a state of confrontation due to religious, geopolitical and energy differences and conflicts, which have shaped the political landscape of the Middle East and greatly affected its geopolitical security. The reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran has changed this geopolitical pattern and situation, and is expected to usher in the opportunity to cool down and resolve some other hot issues in the Middle East. Of course, there will be some countries who do not want to see this change in the region and vigilance is needed to prevent any sabotaging of the accord.

The reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran brings enlightenment and hope that other confrontational and antagonistic relations can be peacefully resolved through dialogue and negotiation.

Due to geographic, historical and cultural differences and contradictions, there are bound to be many differences and disputes between countries, which is a reality in the world, but the key is how to view, handle and solve these issues, which are related to the fundamental interests of national and regional security and development. History has repeatedly proved that confrontation will not only fail to solve the problems, but also intensify the frictions leading to losses. In today's highly developed 21st century, human society should move toward peace, rationality and wisdom, and use a new concept and way to deal with and resolve differences and disputes in line with the general trend of human development. China has proposed that countries work together to build a community with a shared future for humanity and it has put forward the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative as practical blueprints for building such a community. The joint statement by China, Saudi Arabia and Iran states that the Saudi-Iranian agreement was reached in response to President Xi Jinping's initiative for China to support the development of good-neighborly and friendly relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Unlike the way some of the world's major powers that favor one faction and fight another in dealing with regional issues, China has played an important role in bringing about the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement, creating a new model for the role of major powers. First, it promoted the peace talks in the spirit of "harmony", which is the essence of Chinese culture, and it used "harmony is precious" as a guiding principle to encourage the two sides to engage in talks to aim at reconciliation and cooperation. Second, it used its goodwill and balanced stance to mediate. China's sincere desire to promote reconciliation between the two sides was highly trusted by both countries. China has also maintained a balanced and neutral stance in facilitating the Saudi-Iranian dialogue and negotiations. China's friendly and balanced posture ensured the success of the peace talks. Third, it exerted its influence. As a permanent member of the Security Council and the second-largest economy, China is also the top trading country and oil importer of Saudi Arabia and Iran, and has significant influence in the world and the Middle East. At the same time, China maintains a high level of strategic cooperation with both Saudi Arabia and Iran, has no self-interest in the Middle East, respects the ownership of Middle Eastern countries in their own affairs, and sincerely hopes for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the Middle East. China's role is highly recognized and valued by both Saudi Arabia and Iran.

China is playing an increasingly important role in maintaining peace and security in the world, providing new platforms and solutions and new hopes and options for resolving world and regional hotspot issues. In February, China established the Preparatory Office of the International Mediation Institute in Hong Kong, which will provide mediation services for various international disputes. This is China's political and legal practice in mediating international disputes and resolving international strife in the new international landscape and situation.

On Feb 24, on the first anniversary of the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, China put forward a position paper on a political solution to it, which is a proposal aimed at resolving the conflict through peace talks, taking into account the interests of all parties, building a European security architecture and resolving the conflict in a political and diplomatic manner, which is actually similar to China's philosophy and program for promoting the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The success of the reconciliation should provide inspiration and a model for solving the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and all parties, especially Russia and Ukraine, and Europe, which is a major stakeholder, should pay attention to and seriously consider China's proposal, rather than waiting until both sides are exhausted and depleted before coming to their senses.

The world today is extremely unsettled. The United States is provoking divisions and confrontations in the world for the selfish interest of maintaining its hegemony, pushing the world into a very dangerous situation, which affects the overall situation of world peace and development and concerns the future fate of humanity. At the crossroads of history, countries around the world need to make a choice, whether to uphold the concept of a community with a share future, through dialogue and cooperation, the pursuit of mutually beneficial and win-win results, or to uphold the zero-sum Cold War mentality, and promote the division of the world, which will be all-lose in the end.

The author is deputy director of the Institute of World Economics and Politics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The author contributed this article to China Watch, a think tank powered by China Daily. The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

Contact the editor at editor@chinawatch.cn.