President Xi meets Russian FM

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday, with the two sides pledging more cooperation on global affairs this year.

Extending greetings for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Xi said he looked forward to communicating with Putin and implementing their agreements.

Xi said the two countries should join hands with the international community to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII this year.

They should use it to celebrate the historic contribution the two countries, as main battlefields in the east and west, made in the war, and to maintain postwar peace and security, the president said.

He said China will cooperate with Russia to hold the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Russia this year to jointly maintain emerging economies' interests and promote global economic governance reform.

Lavrov conveyed Putin's greetings to Xi. He said cooperation between Russia and China is important to the world's peace and stability.

Russia will work with China to hold commemorative activities of the 70th anniversary, and to jointly safeguard the principles and purpose of the UN Charter, he added.

Lavrov is in Beijing for a regular trilateral meeting among the foreign ministers of China, Russia and India.