The official Xinhua news agency quoted vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu as saying the joint agreement "will help increase mutual trust and replace competition among major powers with coordination and cooperation".

Ma described the agreement as "positive and weighty", adding it would help create a "balanced relationship between major powers".

The statement "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," Xinhua quoted Ma as saying.

"The five countries should take the joint statement 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," the report added.