Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang Thursday hailed the newly launched Sino-US cooperation on container security as "an important part of the two countries' anti-terrorism cooperation."

A proposal for keeping containers secure before departure from China to the United States was launched in Shanghai, China's economic capital, on Wednesday, which was aimed at preventing terrorists from hiding weapons of mass-destruction.

"Such cooperation is an important part of the Sino-US anti- terrorism cooperation since the two countries established a middle- and long-term anti-terrorism exchange and cooperation mechanism in 2001," Qin told a regular press conference.

According to the proposal, US custom officers posted in Shanghai will lodge lists of suspicious containers, along with their reasoning, to Chinese customs.

The two sides will then exchange views on suspicious containers, and if they agree, Chinese customs will make a check of the containers before their departure.

Without law execution power, US officers should respect the sovereignty of China and obey its laws and regulations. According to the reciprocal principle, Chinese customs can also post officers in US ports.

Beside Shanghai, Shenzhen port in south China is also a place for the cooperation.

As an important part of the global anti-terrorism strategy of the US, the container security proposal aims at checking high risk containers at the customs of the export country before arriving in the United States.