The United States and China have unveiled a radiation detection system at a Shanghai seaport as part of a global effort to prevent the illegal transport of weaponized nuclear materials.

The system will provide comprehensive screening of cargo at the Yangshan deepwater port – one of the world's busiest container ports.

The move is part of a U.S.-led initiative to equip 100 of the world's biggest seaports with devices to scan about 50 percent of global shipping traffic by 2015.

At a ceremony to inaugurate the system, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration administrator Thomas D'Agostino praised the “commitment of the Chinese government to detecting nuclear material and combating nuclear terrorism.”

U.S. and Chinese officials have not always agreed on nuclear arms proliferation issues. While the two sides have have found some common ground in dealing with North Korea's nuclear activities, China is opposed to unilateral sanctions against Iran, which the U.S. says are necessary to halt the country's nuclear program.