Chinese FM calls for elevating bilateral relations with Russia

TASHKENT, July 16 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia should further elevate their bilateral relations, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Thursday.

During a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Wang recalled the important video meeting held between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, during which the two heads of state decided to extend the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation and issued a joint statement in this regard.

Guided by the spirit of the treaty and the joint statement, China and Russia should unswervingly deepen their comprehensive strategic coordination and promote practical cooperation, said Wang.

The two sides should not only deepen vaccine cooperation to fight against the coronavirus, but also strengthen solidarity and cooperation to repel political viruses, he added.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), said Wang, adding that China stands ready to work with Russia to promote the SCO's high-quality development in the next 20 years and make greater contributions to maintaining regional stability and promoting common development.

As permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, China and Russia should firmly uphold the principles of the UN Charter and genuine multilateralism, Wang noted.

He added that China and Russia should maintain coordination and cooperation, unequivocally oppose external interference in their internal affairs, jointly oppose bloc confrontations, and safeguard international peace and stability.

Wang also urged the two sides to deepen coordination on regional affairs, jointly promote Afghanistan's return to the track of peace, jointly resist the "Indo-Pacific Strategy" full of Cold War mentality, and jointly promote peaceful development in the Asia-Pacific region.

Russia-China relations are at their best in history, and the relationship is not a military-political alliance similar to those forged during the Cold War period, but a new type of bilateral ties, Lavrov said.

Russia supports China in hosting the Beijing Winter Olympics and is willing to deepen cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks such as BRICS, the SCO and the UN, he said.

Lavrov also expressed the hope to strengthen communication and coordination with China on affairs in Central Asia and the Asia-Pacific region, guard against the sabotage of regional peace by the so-called "Indo-Pacific Strategy" and maintain regional and world stability and prosperity.