Xi Jinping, Putin lay foundation for next level of strategic partnership — top diplomat

The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during the BRICS Summit in Kazan has laid the strategic foundation for the next level of the development of bilateral relations, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

"The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during the [BRICS] Kazan summit has laid the strategic foundation for the next level of the development of relations between the two states," the top Chinese diplomat told Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

According to Wang Yi, China "is ready to work with Russia to further strengthen cooperation and cohesion, contribute to the steady development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and support the development and rebirth of their countries and the reform of the global governance system."

The foreign minister also said that China and Russia must work with their BRICS partners to implement the results of the BRICS Summit, expand and strengthen the BRICS mechanism, enhance the influence of the Global South and increase its role in the multipolar world.