China on Tuesday welcomed the new Russia-U.S. document on strategic weapons and urged both nations to massively cut nuclear arms.

"China welcomes the Russia-U.S. document on reducing strategic arms and hopes both nations will reach an early deal and aggressively cut nuclear arms," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told the regular briefing.

Qin's comments came as Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama on Monday signed a document of understanding on nuclear weapon control.

Under the framework document, within seven years after a new treaty comes into force, the limits for strategic delivery systems should be within 500-1,100 units and for warheads linked to them within 1,500-1,675 units.

The new deal is expected to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) signed in 1991 between the United States and the Soviet Union.

START I, due to expire in December, places a limit of 6,000 strategic or long-range nuclear warheads on both sides.

"As the world's biggest nuclear arms countries, Russia and the United States should cut their nuclear arsenals in a verifiable and irreversible manner, which will pave the way for the comprehensive and thorough nuclear disarmament," Qin said.

The spokesman said China always maintained a comprehensive ban on and a thorough destruction of nuclear weapons. He said: "China would like to work with other parties to make positive contribution to nuclear disarmament."

(Xinhua News Agency July 7, 2009)