China, Russia agree to strengthen strategic consultation, cooperation

China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Russia and continuously enrich the strategic connotations of bilateral ties, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said in a meeting with Secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday in St. Petersburg.

During the meeting, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, noted that in face of unprecedented changes in a century, the stable and healthy development of China-Russia relations are fundamentally due to the guidance of the two countries' heads of state.

This year, based on the new starting point of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, the two sides have maintained exchanges at all levels, implemented important consensus reached by the heads of state, and further consolidated the political and social foundation of China-Russia eternal good-neighborliness and friendly relations, comprehensive strategic coordination, and mutually beneficial cooperation for win-win outcomes, Wang said.

He stressed that China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with Russia, give full play to the role of the China-Russia strategic security consultation mechanism and the BRICS Meeting of High Representatives on National Security mechanism, and continuously enrich the strategic connotations of China-Russia relations.

Meanwhile, Wang said that China supports Russia's work as the rotating chair of BRICS and is willing to join hands to deepen mutual trust and cooperation among BRICS countries, to shape the BRICS mechanism into a major channel for emerging powers to make their voices heard and an important platform for solidarity and cooperation of the "Global South" and to continuously create new paradigms for "BRICS+" cooperation.

For his part, Shoigu stated that high-level exchanges between Russia and China and fruitful cooperation in various fields have highlighted the high level of Russia-China strategic cooperation.

He thanked China for its support of Russia as the rotating chair of BRICS and expressed Russia's willingness to continue strengthening strategic communication with China, closely coordinating cooperation, and ensuring the success of the BRICS leaders' summit in Kazan next month.

During the meeting, both sides expressed their commitment to advocating and practicing true multilateralism.

The Russian side emphasized its support for China's role as the rotating chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), striving to make the SCO more efficient and pragmatic, and more cohesive, and inject more stability into a world entangled in chaos.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis.

Shoigu explained Russia's position on the issue. He welcomed the "six-point consensus" jointly proposed by China and Brazil, saying Russia is pleased to see this consensus widely recognized by the international community.

Wang stated that China has always maintained an objective and fair attitude on the Ukraine issue and will continue to commit to increasing the voice of balance, objectivity, and rationality in the international community, to gather more international consensus and accumulate necessary conditions for an early ceasefire and a political resolution to the crisis.