On April 23, 2018, President Xi Jinping met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia at the Great Hall of the People.

Xi Jinping asked Sergey Lavrov to convey his sincere greetings to President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Xi Jinping pointed out that I look forward to President Vladimir Putin's visit to China and his attendance at the Qingdao Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) this June. I expect to, together with him, have a nice talk about our friendship, jointly plan the development of China-Russia relations in the new era, as well as jointly discuss the major plans for the future development of the SCO together with the leaders of other SCO member states.

Xi Jinping stressed that the high-level bilateral relations are precious wealth for both countries. At present, China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination has maintained a positive development momentum. Both China and Russia should continuously give play to the guiding role of high-level exchanges in the development of bilateral relations, well implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, and propel the integration and cooperation between the "Belt and Road" construction and the Eurasian Economic Union, support and coordinate with each other in international affairs and jointly safeguard international law and universally recognized norms of international relations. Both sides should strengthen cooperation within the frameworks including the SCO, BRICS countries, and the G20 as well as work with various countries to promote the building of a new type of international relations and the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. It is believed that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Russia relations will surely and constantly make new achievements and reach new heights.

Sergey Lavrov conveyed President Vladimir Putin's sincere greetings to Xi Jinping and noted that President Vladimir Putin looks forward to visiting China and attending the SCO Qingdao Summit. Russia attaches high importance to developing Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and stands ready to deepen bilateral cooperation in various fields. Like China, Russia respects international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and agrees that the two sides should further enhance coordination within multilateral frameworks.

Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee Yang Jiechi, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and others attended the meeting.