The recent agreement hammered out by major powers, the UN and Iran set a powerful example for resolving regional and international problems. The hard work is far from over, as suspicion lingers in Washington, Tehran and some Arab capitals, but the success so far shows that difficult issues can be resolved through negotiation when all parties are sincere about achieving a result.

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.

Zbigniew Brzezinski is one of America’s leading strategic thinkers. He was national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter at the time of the Iranian Revolution in 1979 and during the ensuing hostage crisis. He spoke with The WorldPost about the recently negotiated agreement with Iran on its nuclear program.

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.

Will China take a more proactive role in resolving the Iranian nuclear issue? As Dr. Jin Liangxiang explains, China remains an economic victim in the dispute and must promote reconciliation between the West and Iran.