Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China and Russia will turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity and bilateral relations will receive a strong boost after COVID-19.

Wang made the remarks at his annual press conference during the third session of the 13th National People's Congress on Sunday.

In response to a question asking whether China and Russia will join forces to challenge U.S. predominance, Wang said the two countries have supported and defended each other against slander and attacks coming from certain countries.

"Together, China and Russia have forged an impregnable fortress against the 'political virus' and demonstrated the strength of the bilateral strategic coordination," he said.

China and Russia have enjoyed a high level of political trust, and the two sides have kept close contact and high-level strategic communication amid COVID-19, Wang said.

He said since the start of the year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have spoken on the phone three times on COVID-19 and bilateral cooperation.

Wang said Russia is one of the first countries that sent medical supplies to China, and now China will continue to do everything it can to support Russia in its fight against the virus.

The foreign minister said the two countries will take COVID-19 as an opportunity to boost cooperation in the areas of trade, medical and health care, tech and innovation, and disease prevention and control.

He also called for efforts to defend the UN-led international system and multilateralism to build a safer and more stable world, with justice and fairness truly held.

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