In the wake of rising U.S.-Iranian tension, there seems to be no clear path forward – and no clear winner. China stands to pluck the fruit of possible conflict in the region.

Starting in May, the White House hopes to extinguish Iran’s oil exports. However, any destabilization may prove counter-productive and cause long-term damage to the United States, the region, and global prospects.

China's Xi Jinping commits to close ties with Iran.

Fundamentally, Chinese leaders seek to change Iran’s behavior, but not its regime. PRC policy makers want Iranian oil, but they are cautious about irritating more important commercial partners, especially the United States; when defending Tehran, Beijing strives to avoid confronting Washington directly.

Although the recent Iran nuclear agreement is welcome, China and the U.S. have important tasks to perform to keep Iran from becoming a real, as opposed to a virtual, nuclear weapons state. The Iranian model will not apply to Korea and other proliferation challenges given the different elements of these threats.

As the world becomes increasingly multi-polar, there has been much discussion of a new model for major-power relations and how they might shape a modern world order. The recent breakthrough in negotiations with Iran shows that the idea is moving from rhetoric to reality.

The most fundamental driving force for the pact is the profound and deepening development toward a multipolar world. Economic globalization has closely integrated the interests of all countries, and the conception of a community of common destiny for all mankind has taken root, replacing the sort of unilateralism most recently practiced by the United States.

Even an inconclusive agreement will benefit both countries, as US dominance of the global marketplace declines and makes remaining sanctions less workable.

Mutual trust has been slow to evolve on the political front, but that continues to be key for any meaningful deal.

The recent negotiations on Iranian nuclear development have given many around the world reason for optimism. He Wenping explains the negotiations with a special emphasis on the influence that the U.S. and China had on them and their respected roles moving forward.