If China's attitude toward global nuc-lear security was taken as unclear, the Thursday announcement that President Hu Jintao will attend the upcoming Nuclear Security Summit should dispel any lingering doubts. In fact, the country has actively participated in the summit's preparations.

As a responsible world power keeping a comparatively small nuclear cache, China has always been opposed to nuclear proliferation and terrorism. It announced long ago that it will not use or threaten to use nuclear weapons against states without nuclear weapons or in nuclear-free zones.

There has been greater pressure on China to become an important force in maintaining world peace and security. President Hu's participation at the summit, to be held in Washington on April 12-13, again sends the message that the country is committed to global nuclear security.