BEIJING/TEHRAN, Dec. 30 -- The Iranian people, suffering from many years of West-imposed severe economic sanctions, are anticipating a peaceful solution to the 12-year-old dispute over the country's controversial nuclear program, and appreciate China's persistent efforts in this endeavor.

Common Iranian people have been following the nuclear talks in Vienna between world powers and Iran anxiously, and the active and constructive role China has played in rounds of difficult talks has been widely appreciated.

Hashemi, a college graduate who can only work as a shop helper due to Iran's sluggish economy, said that he found a pattern that China's move can usually bring positive outcomes.

Although Hashemi is not a political analyst, his point of view is shared by Sadeq Zibakalam, a professor of political science with Tehran University.

China can play a positive role in the nuclear negotiation because it is trusted by both Iran and the United States and can persuade both countries into reaching a compromise, Zibakalam said.

PROMOTING FLEXIBLE, PEACEFUL SOLUTIONS

Although Iran and the P5+1 bloc -- China, France, Germany, Russia, the Great Britain and the United States -- have held numerous rounds of talks, significant differences still exist between negotiators, which prevent a comprehensive deal to end the nuclear standoff.

In order to keep the talking going on, China has showed a flexible diplomatic approach to encourage negotiators to give more thorough reflections on this longstanding issue.

In the Vienna talks, when it was clear that Iran and some powers could not reach an agreement, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi encouraged all sides to extend the deadline and keep negotiations going.

There are two possibilities -- one is that all the relevant parties might be able to "turn the corner" to work out a final comprehensive solution, and the other is prolonging the talks since the issue involves a lot of professional and technical aspects which need detailed discussions, Wang said.

"If we don't have enough time here, I believe all the parties concerned will continue to think about whether we will be able to extend the duration of this negotiation and how long it will be extended," Wang told reporters in Vienna.

Following the agreement to extend the talks until June 30, 2015, Qin Gang, a spokesman of China's Foreign Ministry, urged parties concerned to preserve the momentum of negotiations, find a consensus in a step-by-step and reciprocal way and strive for a mutual-beneficial comprehensive nuclear deal as soon as possible.

IMPORTANT MEDIATOR IN NUCLEAR TALKS

Since Shah Pahlavi of Iran, who was able to restore his monarch thanks to a coup staged by the United States, was ousted in the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Tehran and Washington have seen each other as adversaries.

The hostility between the two countries has been deteriorating the Iranian nuclear issue, and has become a major barrier in Vienna talks.

Despite the obvious difficulty, China has actively mediated between Tehran and Washington in rounds of tough negotiations. The unbiased and practical stance China adopts has been proven effective in diminishing the differences between Iran and the U.S.-led Western powers.

"With an unbiased position, China has participated in several rounds of mediation between parties, especially between Iran and United States, in an effort to narrow the gaps and facilitate mutual understanding," Wang told reporters in Vienna in November.

China can play a possible role "between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad-Javad Zarif and the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry" to smooth the way for a deal in the ongoing nuclear talks, Zibakalam told Xinhua.

China can persuade Iran and the United States to reach a compromise, for example, on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor, and China can also persuade Tehran to make a concession in exchange for assistance to Iran in many fields including construction of projects, the Iranian expert said.