Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday extended congratulations to Mikhail Mishustin on his appointment as the new prime minister of Russia and called on the two countries to inject stronger impetus into the development of their relations.

In his congratulatory message, Li said that the two sides had made great cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and energy during recent years and the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination has been developing at a high level.

The bilateral relations ushered into a new chapter when Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin announced they would be upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era in 2019, Li noted.

China stands ready to work with Russia's new administration to make new progress in bilateral relations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Friday. 

The Duma, or the lower house of parliament, approved Mishustin's nomination as prime minister on January 16. 

Russian President Putin then formally appointed Mishustin to the position. 

"China extends its congratulations on the move and believes the new administration under the leadership of Prime Minister Mishustin will make new achievements in national development," Geng said. "China will expand cooperation with Russia under the framework of regular meetings between the Chinese premier and Russian prime minister, advance China-Russia relations and deepen practical cooperation in various fields." 

Acting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that the coordination between Moscow and Beijing in foreign policy has had an "important stabilizing influence" on the world.

He made the remarks at his annual press conference. "Russia and China share an equal attitude regarding international affairs, reflected in a series of joint documents," he said.

Russia and China closely coordinate at the United Nations and always try to support each other and defend the principles of the UN Charter, Lavrov said, adding that both sides are trying to prevent attempts by Western powers to force unilateral decision, where consensus is needed.