BEIJING, February 4. /TASS/. Russia and China intend to continue strengthening cooperation in the creation of vaccines against the coronavirus and medical drugs for its treatment, according to a joint statement of the two countries adopted on Friday.

The Heads of State positively assess the effective interaction between Russia and China in the bilateral and multilateral formats focusing on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, protection of life and health of the population of the two countries and the peoples of the world, according to the statement released on the Kremlin’s website.

The sides will "further increase cooperation in the development and manufacture of vaccines against the new coronavirus infection, as well as medical drugs for its treatment, and enhance collaboration in public health and modern medicine," the statement reads.

Moscow and Beijing also plan to strengthen coordination on epidemiological measures to ensure strong protection of health, safety and order in contacts between citizens of the two countries.

Russia and China have commended the work of the competent authorities and regions of the two countries on implementing quarantine measures in the border areas and ensuring the stable operation of the border crossing points. The sides "intend to consider establishing a joint mechanism for epidemic control and prevention in the border areas to jointly plan anti-epidemic measures to be taken at the border checkpoints, share information, build infrastructure and improve the efficiency of customs clearance of goods," the document said.