Xi: China, Russia to promote just, equitable international order

President Xi Jinping stressed on Tuesday the need to enhance the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between China and Russia and jointly promote a more just and equitable international order, when meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Beijing.

Xi said China and Russia should bolster mutual support within multilateral frameworks, safeguard their development and security interests, unite Global South countries and push the international order toward a more just and equitable direction.

He called on both sides to support each other in steering the development direction of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, injecting new momentum into the SCO and making the strategic platform more substantive and stronger.

Noting the strategic importance of the SCO, Xi emphasized the organization's vital role in maintaining peace, stability and development across the Eurasian region.

Xi asked Lavrov to convey his cordial greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling on both sides to follow through on the important understandings that he reached with Putin.

Lavrov said Russia looks forward to maintaining high-level exchanges with China and deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas, as this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War.

He also underlined the importance of communication and coordination between the two sides on international and regional issues, in order to jointly contribute to global and regional peace and stability.

Lavrov added that Russia will actively support China's work as the rotating chair of the SCO, and stands ready to work closely with China to ensure the complete success of the SCO summit that is to be held later this year in Tianjin.

Lavrov attended the Meeting of the Council of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the SCO Member States in Tianjin on Tuesday.

Analysts said that China and Russia, under the strategic guidance of their heads of state, continue to advance their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era with close high-level exchanges and robust cooperation across all sectors.

The two heads of state have met more than 40 times over the years. In May, Xi met with Putin in Moscow when Xi made a state visit to Russia and attended celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told media earlier that Putin will make a four-day visit to China starting in late August.

Ahead of the meeting with Xi, Lavrov held two rounds of talks with Foreign Minister Wang Yi within four days — first in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and then in Beijing — in a move to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and to prepare for upcoming high-level exchanges.

During a meeting with Lavrov in Beijing on Sunday, Wang said that China-Russia relations are the most stable, mature and strategically valuable among major-country relationships in today's world.

zhaojia@chinadaily.com.cn