2010-03-30 19:08

BEIJING - China places importance on the issue of nuclear security and has actively participated in the preparation for the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said Tuesday.

China hoped the summit would strengthen international cooperation in the area of nuclear security, he told a regular press conference in Beijing.

Qin did not specify who would head the Chinese delegation to the summit, which will take place in Washington on April 12-13.

Representatives from more than 40 countries are to attend the summit, which was seen as a major move towards a world free of nuclear weapons.

Qin said China had actively participated in the preparation for the summit because China opposes nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism.

In a statement released earlier Tuesday, Qin said China welcomed a new treaty reached between the United States and Russia on nuclear disarmament.

The United States and Russia finalized a new nuclear disarmament deal last Friday to replace the expired Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START), agreeing to reduce their deployed nuclear warheads by 30 percent to 1,550.