China firmly supports the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) playing a bigger role in international affairs, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Tuesday.

The 17th NAM Summit was held on September 17-18 in the Caribbean island of Margarita in Venezuela, which holds the rotating presidency of the non-aligned bloc for the next three years.

China congratulates Venezuela for successfully hosting the 17th NAM Summit and appreciates the tremendous work the country has done preparing the meeting, Lu told a press conference.

The Non-Aligned Movement is an important hallmark for developing countries to pull together and has played an important role in safeguarding world peace and promoting common development, he added.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday approved the Margarita Declaration of the 17th NAM Summit.

The declaration covered several areas, including consolidating a new international order, achieving self-determination for all people, nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, human rights and anti-terrorist measures.

China is an observer state of NAM and has always supported its purpose and principles, said Lu, adding that China attaches great importance to NAM's role in international affairs and will continue to deepen its traditional friendship and expand mutually beneficial cooperation with NAM.

Lu also said that China will continue to stand with developing nations to safeguard their common interests, jointly shape a new type of international relations characterized by win-win cooperation and build a community of common destiny.

Founded in Belgrade in 1961, NAM is a group of states that are not formally aligned with or against any major power bloc. The group is currently made up of 120 members, 17 observer states and 10 observer organizations.