China and the United States finished hammering out technical details on their mega-port initiative late May, marking a crucial step in the two countries' goal to stop the illegal transportation of radioactive materials, said sources with the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

China and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on the mega-port plan in November 2005 with technical talks beginning in February, 2006.

The mega-port initiative, as a cornerstone of China-US anti-terrorist cooperation, seeks to halt the illicit transportation of nuclear and other radioactive materials by equipping ports with state-of-the-art detection systems, stated a press release from the foreign ministry.

"The representatives from China's General Administration of Customs and General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine and US Energy Ministry held fifth round of technical talks late May, agreeing on the 11 annexes of the memorandum," according to the press release.

The accomplishment of technical talks means that the project may now enter a phase of concrete implementation, it said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2007)