The US has agreed to deploy an anti-ballistic missile early-warning radar system for Israel so that the latter's Arrow II ballistic shield can detect and intercept Iran's Shehab-3 ballistic missiles. On the other hand, the US has provided the improvement of situation it faces over the Iran nuclear issue with certain conditions.

As US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told fellow Democratic congress persons after returning from his recent visit to Iraq and Israel: "Nobody said this to me directly but I get the feeling from my talks that if the sanctions don't work, Israel is going to strike Iran."

If this happens, the Middle East and even the whole international situation, especially the global oil market, will be violently rocked and even thrown into unforeseeable troubles. That is a result the international community, including China, would very much hate to see.

China not only wants a "harmonious Middle East" but has been doing its best to maintain the advantage of having good relations with both the US and Iran that allows it to push for resolving the issue by political and diplomatic means within the framework of "5+1", IAEA and UN Security Council.

In April this year, China for the first time hosted in Shanghai a round of talks among the "5+1" nations about the Iran nuclear issue. However, no one is more qualified to undo a problem than those who created it in the first place. Ultimately it will depend on the US and Iran to resolve the latter's nuclear issue for good, provided they both have what it takes to seize the opportunity when it comes up and make whatever policy adjustment necessary to achieve the goal.

The author is director of the Center for Strategic Studies and deputy director of the Institute of Security and Strategic Studies

(China Daily August 7, 2008)