President Xi calls for enhanced relations with Russia

BEIJING, April 15 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping met with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing on Tuesday, calling for enhanced political mutual support between the two countries.

Bilateral relations are at their best and have not only benefited both countries and their people, but also have an irreplaceable role in maintaining world peace and stability, said Xi.

He welcomed Russian President Vladimir Putin to pay a state visit to China and attend the Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in May in Shanghai.

"I expect to exchange views with him on bilateral relations and major issues of common concern," Xi said.

The summit is very important for regional peace and stability under the current circumstances, he said.

Xi asked Lavrov to convey his greetings to Putin, noting that he attaches great importance to the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and cherishes the mutual trust and friendship shared with Putin.

He said the two sides should transfer their high political mutual trust into extensive pragmatic cooperation, maintain high-level exchanges and strategic communication, accelerate cooperation in strategic projects, and strengthen coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs.

Lavrov also extended Putin's greetings to Xi, noting that the bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination has global influence.

Russia is ready to enhance communication, coordination and cooperation with China, he said, adding that Putin is looking forward to his China visit and the CICA summit.

Lavrov said Russia will make joint efforts with China to ensure the success of the visit and promote the CICA summit to achieve positive results.

During the meeting, Lavrov briefed with Xi about Russia's stance on the Ukraine issue. Xi also elaborated on China's position on the issue.