BEIJING, June 10. /TASS/. China is ready to develop stable relations with Russia and work together to counter external forces, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.
"China is ready to cooperate with the Russian side to preserve strategic commitment, use cooperation potential, counter external restraining forces, promote stable and far-reaching bilateral relations," the Chinese foreign ministry quoted him as saying at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the BRICS ministerial meeting in Nizhny Novgorod.
The top Chinese diplomat stressed that the development of relations with Russia is "a strategic choice made by the sides with due account of their fundamental interests and in conformity with global trends and the spirit of the times." He recalled that partnership between Beijing and Moscow is not aimed against any third countries and cannot be impacted from outside.
He noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to China was successful. "China and Russia should spare no effort to implement the important consensus that was reached by the two countries’ leaders," he added.
The BRICS ministerial meeting is being held in Nizhny Novgorod on June 10 and 11. This is the first BRICS ministerial meeting after the association’s expansion in 2023.