JAKARTA, July 13./TASS/. Russia and China are planning for major high-level contacts in the second half of this year, Wang Yi, director of the Foreign Affairs Commission Office of the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee, said on Thursday.

"A number of important high-level contacts are expected in the second half of the year. It is important for us to coordinate well, to strengthen our bilateral and multilateral interaction, and to put into practice the goals set by our leaders for the development of our relations," Wang said at talks in Jakarta with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of ministerial-level events under the aegis of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

At the start of the meeting, he once again mentioned the success of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia in March. "Against the background of tectonic changes occurring around the world, we consistently adhere to the critical consensus between our respective heads of state, firmly supporting each other in protecting [our countries’] vital interests, and following the path of peaceful development, good-neighborliness and mutual benefit, as well as promoting a multipolar world order and the democratization of relations. We are satisfied with the trend in the development of our relations and strongly believe in the bright prospects" for their future development, the senior diplomat emphasized.

"China and Russia are ASEAN partners. Strengthening our cooperation in ASEAN helps to bring our positions into closer alignment, and to advance multifaceted forms of cooperation that can defend the ASEAN-centric system as well as the structure of cooperation with this association," Wang stressed.