Top Chinese diplomat urges enhanced cooperation with Russia

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called for stronger cooperation between Beijing and Moscow during a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu in New Delhi.

The two officials discussed cooperation under the BRICS framework, bilateral relations, and regional and international issues on the sidelines of the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors and High Representatives on National Security.

BRICS is an "important platform for the international community to practice multilateralism, uphold fairness and justice, and promote peace and security," Wang told Shoigu, according to a statement from China's Foreign Ministry.

He called on the two countries to strengthen coordination and cooperation to expand the BRICS mechanism and make it a "leading force of the global South."

The meeting "should build consensus among BRICS countries, address security challenges, safeguard the security environment, inject more certainty into a turbulent world, and make greater BRICS contributions," he added.

"China is ready to work with Russia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen comprehensive strategic coordination, promote the accelerated development and revitalization of both countries, and make China-Russia contributions to the human peace and development," Wang also said.

Shoigu also called for closer bilateral ties between the two countries.

"Russia and China should deepen mutual trust, conduct close cooperation, jointly resist various forms of interference and infiltration by external forces in the security field, and oppose Japan's attempts at 're-militarization,'" he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a two-day visit to China in May.