BEIJING -- China and the United States will sit down for the first joint work group meeting on the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Beijing on Monday, China's Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday.

China and the US decided to establish a joint group on the nonproliferation of WMD during their Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing last July. It is the first time China has established a mechanism for discussion about nonproliferation with other major countries.

Li Yang, Deputy Director-general for the Department of Arms Control in the Chinese Foreign Ministry, and Van Diepen, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation for the US Department of State, will attend the meeting, the Ministry said.

The meeting is expected to enhance practical cooperation in nonproliferation and strategic trust between the two countries, which is conducive to the building of a new type of relationship between major countries. It is also expected to promote international nonproliferation process by showcasing the cooperation between big countries.

China has always opposed proliferation in all forms and conducted international cooperation in this area. China and the US have shared interests and concerns in nonproliferation and kept communication and cooperation in implementing the UN Security Council Resolution 1540, arms export control and regional nonproliferation hotspot issues.