China's top legislator Li Zhanshu on Wednesday noted that legislative bodies of both China and Russia fully carry out their functions to provide higher quality legal services for the sustained and high-level development of Sino-Russian relations.

Li, also chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee and a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks when meeting with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Under the leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination between the two sides has entered a new era, Li said, adding that the ties have made great contributions to the building of a new type of international relations as well as a community with a shared future for mankind.

Medvedev agreed, noting that the relationship between Russia and China is "at its best in history." Both sides should stand by multilateralism so as to maintain the peace and stability of the world. 

Long-term friendship

The friendship between China and Russia dates back to the late 1940s when Russia was still the former Soviet Union.

In July 2001, China and Russia signed the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation. This laid a strong legal foundation for the two countries to develop a strategic partnership.

Ten years later, the two sides went a step further and established a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination based on equality, trust, mutual support, common prosperity and lasting friendship. 

In 2014, it was announced that the partnership had officially entered a new era.

Leaders from the two sides also called for more people-to-people exchanges, especially among young people. 

Increasingly frequent exchanges between Chinese and Russian youths in recent years have promoted mutual understanding and friendship, Xi said while visiting All-Russian Children's Center "Ocean," as part of his September tour.