China has played a significant role in international cooperation in nuclear security and the peaceful use of nuclear energy, an Egyptian nuclear expert told Xinhua.

As a pioneer country in the nuclear field, China cooperates with the international community to ensure that the values and ethics of nuclear security are safeguarded and takes those values as the foundation for cooperation in this area, said Ali Abdul Nabi, a former vice president of the Egyptian Nuclear Power Plants Authority.

"The Chinese experts are always helping with the programs of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and they have made many important contributions in the research fields," Nabi told Xinhua ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

The expert noted that the significant role China plays in protecting nuclear security stems from its responsibility as a major country to protect the peoples of the world from nuclear threats.

"China resorts to international legitimacy and always seeks collective solutions to confront threats and challenges facing nuclear security. It always updates its nuclear strategies in accordance with these concepts," he said.

China published its first nuclear white paper earlier this year,detailing policies and measures with regard to nuclear emergency preparedness and highlighting a "rational, coordinated and balanced" nuclear security approach.

The expert highlighted China's contributions to the peaceful use of nuclear energy, citing the example of the China-U.S. nuclear security center in Beijing, which opened on March 18.

Sitting in a suburb of Beijing, the Nuclear Security Center of Excellence is the largest of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region, and serves as a platform for training and international exchanges and cooperation in nuclear security.

"(Other) countries should also cooperate to build nuclear security centers to serve Africa and South America as China does with Asia-Pacific countries," Nabi suggested.

The expert also hailed the IAEA's vital role in safeguarding nuclear security and fighting nuclear terrorism, adding that the agency cannot play its role without support of the international community.

"The fourth and final Nuclear Security Summit to be held from March 31 to April 1 in Washington is important for the agency to regulate nuclear security," noted Nabi, adding that the summit emphasizes the importance of all efforts exerted to ensure security and stability for all peoples of the world.