On February 16, 2019 local time, 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 met with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of Russia on the sidelines of the 55th Munich Security Conference in Munich.

Yang Jiechi expressed that under strategic guidance and personal promotion of President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin, China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination has maintained high-level development, with solid political mutual trust between the two sides, a record high bilateral trade volume and important outcomes achieved from cooperation in such fields as connectivity and energy, bringing tangible benefits to the two peoples and also being conducive to regional and global peace, stability, security and development. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Russia. The two heads of state will continue to maintain close exchanges. The Chinese side will make joint efforts with the Russian side to fully implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state, and constantly expand all-round cooperation in various fields, in a bid to well develop and maintain bilateral relations and the common interests of the two countries.

Sergey Lavrov noted that the Russian side attaches great importance to developing Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. Under the joint efforts of the two sides, Russia-China relations have made substantial progress, with close bilateral high-level exchanges and bilateral trade volume exceeding 100 billion US dollars. The Russian side will, together with the Chinese side, well plan the exchanges between the two heads of state and practical cooperation in various fields within this year to promote Russia-China relations for more outcomes.

Both sides also exchanged views on international and regional hotspot issues of common concern.