Xi: security cooperation with Russia is important

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, in Beijing, capital of China, Sept. 14, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday that it is urgent and important to carry out well security cooperation with Russia.

Xi made the remarks here when he met with Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, who was attending the 12th round of bilateral strategic and security consultations, and the third meeting of the China-Russia law-enforcement and security cooperation mechanism.

Xi called on the two countries to give full play to the existing cooperation mechanism to further enhance security consultation and exchange.

Recalling his third meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin this year, in Hangzhou during the G20 summit this month, Xi said they had reached important consensus on enhancing bilateral cooperation.

"Both of us agreed that China and Russia need to strengthen mutual support on major issues and consolidate political mutual trust," Xi told Patrushev, referring to his meeting with Putin.

Xi called for doing a good job in integrating China's Belt and Road Initiative with Russia's Eurasian Economic Union, and strengthening coordination in international and regional affairs.

No matter how the international situation or the external environment changes, both countries need to work hard to realize their goals of development and revitalization and to safeguard world peace and stability as well as international equity and justice, he said.

Patrushev said China and Russia are important stable factors in international affairs as both countries conduct close communication on major global and regional security issues, as well as in multilateral organizations such as the United Nations.

He said Russia attaches great importance to the Belt and Road Initiative and is willing to work with China to further step up strategic coordination and mutually beneficial cooperation.