Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that China and Russia should “strengthen mutual support,” Chinese state media reported. The remarks came during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers’ talks.

Xi stressed the need to strengthen bilateral support in multilateral forums as part of a broader vision for a new world order. The Chinese leader called on Beijing and Moscow to work together to unite countries in the Global South and “promote the development of the international order in a more just and reasonable direction,” Xinhua news agency reported.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that “a wide range of issues related to high-level and top-level political contacts” were discussed during the meeting, including preparations for President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to China. The visit will coincide with the SCO summit and celebrations marking the anniversary of the end of World War II.

According to TASS, Xi Jinping met with Lavrov after holding a joint meeting with all foreign ministers participating in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Beijing. Among them are Indian Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Iranian representative Abbas Araghchi.

On Sunday, Lavrov met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with whom they discussed Ukraine and relations with the United States. Lavrov’s visit to China followed a visit to North Korea, where, according to Moscow, he received assurances of support for Russia’s position on the conflict in Ukraine.

China claims to be neutral on the war, but Beijing has never condemned the Russian invasion or called on Moscow to withdraw its troops. Many of Ukraine’s allies believe that China is actually assisting Russia, including economically and technologically. Beijing, however, has regularly called for a ceasefire, while accusing the West of prolonging the conflict by supplying weapons to Kiev.

Xi Jinping stressed that political mutual trust between SCO member states has deepened, describing the organization as a model for a new type of international relations that meets “current trends and the needs of all countries.” The SCO has 10 member states and has for years sought to establish itself as a counterpoint to Western alliances such as NATO, expanding cooperation in areas such as politics, security, trade and science. | BGNES