It is in the interests of China and the United States, as well as the region and the world beyond, to have peace, stability and development in the Gulf and the Middle East. Washington’s recent summit with Gulf states reflects both the challenges and its enduring commitment to security concerns there.

It has been argued that China has benefitted from U.S. sanctions in Iran, and will lose out in the case of a U.S.-Iran détente. Yet hostility has already severely undermined China’s economic relations with Iran, and though China and the U.S. do share the same security concerns over Iran’s nuclear program, they have different ideas for solutions.

After years of fruitless efforts to prevent Iran from conducting any uranium enrichment, U.S. negotiators today join with their Chinese counterparts in seeking to contain, rather than eliminate, Iran’s nuclear weapons potential. However, while Chinese policy makers do not want Iran to acquire nuclear weapons, they oppose the use of military force or severe sanctions to prevent it. Richard Weitz highlights a China – U.S. competition for economic advantage in Iran, a dynamic that may define future talks.

The Arab Spring was neither a transformation from authoritative political system to western democracy, nor a religious “Islamic Awakening.” Dr. Jin Liangxiang describes it as the reconstruction of political legitimacy, and primarily caused due to governments losing their legitimacy by not providing economically for the people. Externally imposed political systems will not solve the ongoing issues, though.

The current international situation is rife with change, uncertainty and crisis in the Middle East, Asian Pacific, and Europe, largely due to shifting world power. Chen Xiangyang overviews changes and contradictions around the globe from a realist perspective on power relations.

In order to defeat IS, action needs to be taken well beyond Iraq and Syria. The entire campaign will not be measured in months. It needs to be a global, multi-pronged and long-term battle and requires global input and cooperation to extirpate this universal scourge.

Chen Xiangyang provides an overview of the major international power conflicts during 2014, a year marked by “flux” and “reconfiguration.” Western countries will find it hard to dominate international order, institutions, and rules due to the collective emergence of new powers, mostly in Asia.

As a friend of both Israel and Palestine, China has made persistent efforts for a fair and lasting solution for the conflict, writes Wu Sike.

China, the United States and other countries should strengthen communication and cooperation over counter-terrorism initiatives in order to enhance a new model of major country relations, writes Wu Sike.

Terrorism is the top public hazard of the present-day world. Its eradication calls for global cooperation and a shared sense of urgency.