Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday held the 18th round of China-Russia strategic security consultation with Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation in Moscow.

According to a statement released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the two sides had in-depth exchanges of views on a wide range of issues related to the deepening of strategic cooperation between the two countries, strengthening coordination and enhancing mutual trust.

Stressing China-Russia relations have withstood the test of the changing international landscape, Wang hailed that bilateral ties have continued to develop in a healthy and stable manner, with the connotation of strategic cooperation between the two countries constantly enriched and the quality of pragmatic cooperation constantly improved.  

As permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and responsible major countries, China and Russia have worked closely together in the international arena to defend genuine multilateralism, oppose all hegemonic acts and promote the development of the global governance system in a fairer and more reasonable direction, he added. 

The senior Chinese diplomat highlighted that the China-Russia strategic security consultation mechanism is an important part of the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for the new era, which reflects the depth of China-Russia political mutual trust and the breadth of strategic cooperation.  

Since the establishment of the mechanism, the two sides have maintained close communication and positive interaction, effectively defended their common interests and contributed wisdom and strength to global strategic stability and the resolution of regional hotspot issues, Wang said. 

The two sides have firmly supported each other on issues of mutual core interests, demonstrating the proper meaning of comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, he added. 

Wang told Patrushev that China is ready to work with the Russian side to take the important consensus of the heads of state of the two countries as a fundamental guideline, further enhance the effectiveness of the mechanism, and make greater contributions to the maintenance of the national security of the two countries and the promotion of world peace and stability. 

Patrushev said that, since the beginning of this year, the relationship between Russia and China has developed steadily and their pragmatic cooperation has been carried out in an orderly manner.

Faced with the rapid changes and frequent conflicts in the international security situation, Russia and China are not subject to external influence and interference, will adhere to independence and autonomy, will strengthen the strategic cooperation, and demonstrate the unique value of their comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, Patrushev noted.

He stressed that Russia firmly supports China's legitimate positions on issues related to China's Taiwan, Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Xizang, and opposes Western interference in China's internal affairs.

Russia is ready to work with China to promote stability and development in the Asia-Pacific region and the world, he added.

The two sides have agreed to hold China-Russian consultations on strategic stability at an appropriate time and to strengthen cooperation in fields including law enforcement, security, and global governance of emerging technologies.

They also agreed to enhance coordination in multilateral frameworks such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the BRICS.