President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama highlighted their nations' cooperation in resolving the Iran nuclear issue during a telephone conversation on Tuesday.

Analysts said the Iran case reflects the great potential for Beijing and Washington to jointly push forward solutions to global issues, and it has made Xi's upcoming visit to the United States in September all the more important.

"China and the United States had close communication and coordination during the talks on the Iranian nuclear issue — a testimony to the two nations’ decision to jointly build a new type of relationship between major countries," the Foreign Ministry quoted Xi as saying during the phone call with Obama.

Last week's deal, endorsed by the UN Security Council, lifts sanctions on Iran imposed by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations. In return, Iran will curb its nuclear program for a decade and get rid of 98 percent of its stockpile of enriched uranium.

"The agreement sends a positive message to the world that the international community can resolve major disputes through talks," Xi said.

He said China will work with the US and others to ensure that the Iran nuclear agreement is implemented.

Obama said he appreciated China's contribution to the historic agreement, saying Beijing "played a very important role" in the process, according to the Foreign Ministry news release.

He said the case shows that as long as the two countries cooperate, "we can handle global challenges — including climate change, economic development and public health — together".

The US president said Washington is busy preparing for Xi’s visit and will ensure it "achieves fruitful results".

Shi Yinhong, director of the Center of US Studies at Renmin University of China, said the agreement highlights China's growing importance in resolving global disputes. "With smooth communication with both Iran and the other parties of the talks, China has played a key role that cannot be replaced.

"Sino-US ties have been strained due to a series of strategic issues recently. China's contribution on the Iran nuclear issue will greatly help improve relations and add more significance to the US visit of President Xi," he added.

(China Daily USA 02/12/2015 page1)