Chinese Foreign Minister Pays Official Visit to Moscow

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on Monday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov as part of a working agenda that will run until next Thursday.

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"China and Russia, as major world powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, have a special responsibility for maintaining global strategic stability and world progress. The more violent unilateral actions of hegemony and bloc confrontation become, the more important it is for us to keep up with them," the Chinese minister said before the start of the closed-door meeting.

Wang also pointed out that amid "the current turbulent international and regional situation" it is urged to "constantly synchronizing vigilance, coordinating efforts to advance strategic cooperation."

"We are ready, as before, together with our Russian partners, to firmly watch over multilateral principles and the formation of a multipolar world, and to contribute to the establishment of a fairer world order," the diplomat further said. 

Wang also recalled that cooperation between China and Russia adheres to an independent foreign policy that "is not directed against anyone (other states), nor is it subject to interference."

In this regard, the foreign minister said that "China-Russia relations, characterized by eternal friendship, comprehensive strategic interactions and mutual benefit, constantly give new impetus to the prosperity and development of the two countries, and also bring real tangible benefits to their peoples."

For his part, the Russian Foreign Minister also recognized "the importance of Russian-Chinese cooperation to ensure fairness in world affairs, to ensure the balance of interests in the processes developing in various directions."

On the occasion, Lavrov congratulated Wang on his first visit to Russia as China's foreign minister and expressed hope that the two countries will continue their coordinated work at the UN General Assembly and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning has said that Wang Yi's visit to Moscow "is an event planned within the framework of the consultation mechanism on strategic security issues between the two countries and is aimed at implementing the consensus reached by the heads of the two states." 

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the meeting between the two ministers would discuss "cooperation in the international arena, focusing on joint work in the UN, the BRICS, the SCO, of course, the G20, APEC and other mechanisms and forums."