Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on Thursday to further strengthen bilateral strategic communication and jointly promote the genuine multilateralism.

The two foreign ministers met on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Uzbek capital Tashkent.

Wang said strengthening strategic communication in a timely manner between the two sides would help to advance the healthy and stable development of China-Russia relations, help to adhere to and practice genuine multilateralism, and promote a more fair and equitable international order.

He also said China is ready to strengthen solidarity and cooperation with Russia and other member states to make the SCO a vital force that safeguards international fairness and justice, a stabilizing factor in maintaining regional and world peace, and a key engine of promoting a global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

For his part, Lavrov said bilateral ties have withstood the test of the changing international landscape, demonstrating the traditional friendship and strategic mutual trust between the two countries.

He said Russia is ready to maintain close high-level contacts with China and promote practical cooperation in various fields.

Stressing the SCO brings together major grain and energy producing and consuming countries, the two sides underlined the organization's constructive role in addressing global food and energy security challenges.

The two sides also exchanged views on Afghanistan, agreeing to strengthen communication and coordination on the issue.