Chinese President Hu Jintao?will join more than 40 other heads of state at the Nuclear Security Summit to be held in Washington on April 12-13.

The meeting will discuss the security of nuclear materials and facilities and in particular how to prevent nuclear material falling into the hands of terrorists.

With the world facing climate change, more and more countries are looking to develop nuclear energy programs as an alternative to fossil fuels.

As a result, nuclear facilities and materials are proliferating, raising safety, security and environmental concerns.

The countries attending the summit will exchange experiences on safeguarding nuclear facilities and are expected to agree a framework for international cooperation.

There is a growing recognition that threats to a nation's nuclear security may originate both inside and outside its territory, making international cooperation all the more vital. The Washington summit will attempt to work out universally-accepted security mechanisms.

The United States and the former Soviet Union have both experienced serious nuclear reactor incidents. Former Soviet republics also have seen nuclear materials stolen and smuggled abroad. China, in spite of strict regulation, has suffered from similar incidents. All sides recognize that stolen nuclear materials are a potentially serious security threat.

President Hu's participation at the summit sends the message that China is committed to global nuclear security. He will stress China's commitment to international cooperation on the issue. China and the United States have discussed nuclear issues many times over the past few years, and will probably use the occasion of the summit to announce a detailed cooperation plan.

Relations between China and the U.S. have been strained in recent months, but Hu's attendance at the summit shows that China values multilateral security dialogue despite such short-term difficulties in Sino-US ties. It is expected that the summit will make concrete progress.

China and America cooperate on a wide range of issues despite recent disputes. Reducing differences and increasing cooperation is in the interests of both sides, and the two countries should seize the opportunity of the summit to improve relations.

The author is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit: http://www.h5a3.com/opinion/node_7082361.htm