Five of the world's major nuclear states – China, Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France – have reaffirmed a commitment to a world free of atomic weapons and nuclear conflict. Each country has issued statements after the joint declaration, which comes as a UN nuclear treaty conference was set to begin on Tuesday, but has been postponed to August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fu Cong, director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's Department of Arms Control, briefed the press on the recently signed statement. He stressed that it declares "a nuclear war must never be fought and nuclear weapons should only prevent war."