Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks during a meeting with Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China Wang Yi, Rome, October 30, 2021

Mr Minister,

My dear friend,

Colleagues,

We are maintaining intensive contacts, which is evidence of the unprecedented level and quality of relations between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. The tasks our leaders have set to us are being implemented at all levels of government and are reflected and receive positive feedback in our civil societies.

By the end of this year, we will hold the 26th meeting of the heads of Russian and Chinese governments. It will be preceded by the meetings of five intergovernmental commissions. This will be a serious contribution of our governments’ economic blocks to the preparation of the scheduled summit meeting.

We are also maintaining close contact on foreign policy matters. I hope that today we will be able to discuss all the key issues with due regard for our leaders’ opinions and for the rapid and sometimes contradictory changes on the global stage.