On April 18, 2016, Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who was in Moscow to attend the China-Russia-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting, held talks with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia.
Wang Yi expressed that President Vladimir Putin's visit to China this year is of great significance to China-Russia relations. China stands ready to carefully prepare for the visit with the Russian side to make it a great success, so as to maintain the high-level operation of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. The two countries should also speed up cooperation in the docking between the constructions of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Eurasian Economic Union so as to achieve outcomes at an early date.
Wang Yi said China and Russia are strategic partners of coordination. The two sides have always firmly supported each other on respective major concerns. China is safeguarding its legitimate rights and interests in South China Sea and is entitled to choose, in accordance with relevant laws, ways for resolving disputes by itself. China's rejection and nonparticipation in the arbitration case unilaterally proposed by the Philippines over the South China Sea is a move meant to uphold the dignity and authority of the law. Both China and Russia should stay on guard against abuses of the mandatory arbitration mechanism.
Wang Yi said China and Russia should jointly promote the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, safeguard peace and stability of the Peninsula and maintain regional strategic balance. China stands ready to work with Russia to maintain close communication in moving forward denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula in parallel with the replacement of the armistice agreement with a peace treaty. Both countries should support Uzbekistan in making a success of this year's Tashkent summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), so as to advance the steady and forward development of the SCO. China and Russia should strengthen coordination and cooperation among member states of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), and provide a strong driving force for the CICA to play a good role as a cooperation platform of security dialogue.
Sergey Lavrov expressed that under the current complex and changing international situation, Russia and China jointly deal with various challenges, which has safeguarded world peace and promoted the development of such international organizations as the UN and the G20. The Russian side is willing to enhance the docking between the constructions of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the Eurasian Economic Union. Russia is against bringing the South China Sea issue to the international arena, and supports concerned countries to resolve disputes through direct negotiations. Russia stands ready to work with China to jointly maintain the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and boost the process of the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. Russia and China should make concerted efforts to promote China-Russia-India cooperation and advance the development of the SCO and the process of the CICA.
