BROADCASTS.com

In a rare moment for Chinese diplomacy, Beijing used its good offices to broker an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia that should see the two warring West Asian nations re-establishing diplomatic relations and re-opening their embassies within two months.\nChina\u2019s top diplomat, Wang Yi, who is a signatory to the \u201cjoint trilateral statement\u201d, said the agreement showed that Beijing was a \u201creliable mediator\u201d. The joint trilateral statement itself said the accord was the consequence of a \u201cnoble initiative\u201d by Chinese President Xi Jinping.\nThe announcement, which came on March 10 after four days of talks between Chinese, Iranian and Saudi Arabian officials in Beijing, coincided with a session of China\u2019s National People\u2019s Congress that saw Xi being elected as President for an unprecedented third term.\nSo, what does this agreement signal for Chinese diplomacy? A new confidence? The ability to play a game long dominated by the West? A showpiece that suggests China was now willing to play broker in other parts of the world?