China said Monday that a pact it made with four other nuclear-armed states to halt the spread of nuclear weapons will "improve mutual trust" and lessen the possibility of nuclear war. Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, according to the official Xinhua news agency, said the joint pact "would help enhance mutual trust and replace competitiveness among major nations with coordination and collaboration." The deal was praised as "good and significant" by Ma, who added that it will help establish a "balanced relationship between major nations." According to Xinhua, the declaration "embodies the five countries' political will to prevent nuclear war and reflects the shared voice of maintaining global strategic stability and minimizing the risk of nuclear conflict." "The five countries should use the joint declaration as a springboard to enhance mutual trust, strengthen collaboration, and play a proactive role in fostering a world of permanent peace and universal security," the report concluded.