The meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member countries has pushed forward international cooperation against the COVID-19 pandemic and pledged support for multilateralism, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday during an interview with Xinhua.

Besides attending the meeting in Moscow, Wang also visited Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia from September 10 to 16. 

The SCO meeting is the first substantive multilateral meeting since the COVID-19 outbreak, which is also an important attempt to restart offline exchanges and discuss cooperation face to face in the context of the regular epidemic prevention and control, Wang said.

During the meeting, the ministers passed a press communique and ratified over 20 draft documents, which demonstrated the Shanghai Spirit featuring mutual trust and mutual benefits, as well as the constructive role of the SCO in promoting regional peace and stability, he noted.

The key mission of this foreign ministers' meeting was to make political preparations for the SCO virtual summit scheduled in November, he added.

The foreign ministers have reached important consensus and agreements, such as issuing statements on the 75th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War, promoting international cooperation on the fight against the pandemic, broadening all-round cooperation, and advocating multilateralism, according to Wang.

As for the resumption of work and production, synergizing joint construction of the Belt and Road with the development strategies of other countries is highlighted.

Noting that China is promoting the "dual circulation" model, Wang pointed out this will further provide foreign countries with more cooperation opportunities in the markets.

Defined as a policy that "takes the domestic market as the mainstay while letting internal and external markets boost each other," the model has been viewed by analysts as a viable solution for China to build up resilience against external shocks and share its opportunities for development with the rest of the world.

Wang Yi also reiterated security and cooperation when talking about relations with the neighboring countries.

Security and strategic coordination constitute an important part of the high level of mutual trust and all-round cooperation between China and other countries, Wang said, adding that China's relations with its neighboring countries have maintained a good momentum during recent years.

However, regional security faces new threats and challenges, he further stressed, calling for more attention to be paid in the following aspects – sustainable security concept, cooperation at the bilateral and multilateral levels, no interference in other countries' internal affairs.

The Chinese foreign minister took China-Russia relations as a good example in this regard, saying that China and Russia have become important stabilizing forces in today's international society.

Noting of the first face-to-face meeting between the foreign ministers of China and Russia since the outbreak, Wang said that the two sides agreed to further promote bilateral relations through cooperation against virus, being a model of harmonious coexistence of major countries, strengthening innovation in cutting-edge science and technology and upholding international fairness and justice.

(With input from Xinhua)