China said Monday the commitment of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including herself, to prevent the spread of atomic weapons would “increase confidence” and reduce the risk of nuclear conflict.
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“The joint declaration issued by the leaders of the five nuclear-weapon states (United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom and France, Editor’s note) will help increase mutual trust and replace competition between the great powers with coordination and cooperation, ”said Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu as quoted by the official China New News agency.
Ma called the agreement “positive and meaningful”, adding that it would help create a “balanced relationship between the great powers”.
The declaration “embodies the political will of the five countries to prevent nuclear war and expresses the common voice of maintaining global strategic stability and reducing the risk of nuclear conflict,” Ma said, according to New China.
“The five countries should take the joint declaration as a new starting point, increase mutual trust, strengthen cooperation and play an active role in building a world of lasting peace and universal security,” according to the same source.
These countries pledged Monday to “prevent the further spread” of nuclear weapons, in a joint statement issued before a review conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).