ASTANA - China and Russia should further strengthen strategic cooperation and play a constructive role in maintaining world peace and stability as well as in seeking political settlement for international hot issues, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here Friday.
Hailing the close coordination and cooperation between Beijing and Moscow on international and regional issues, Wang, in a meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, also noted that China, at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Executive Council meeting on Thursday, supported Russia's proposal to investigate the chemical weapons attack in Idlib, Syria, earlier this month.
In addition, China and Russia both insisted on resolving the nuclear issue in the Korean Peninsula through dialogue, Wang said.
The major task for the two countries at the moment, Wang said, is to prepare for Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to China, during which he will attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation slated for mid-May.
Lavrov said that Russia and China bear special responsibility in maintaining international peace and stability, and that they cannot let hegemony and unilateralism dominate the management of international crises.

To Lavrov, coordination and cooperation between China and Russia in international institutions such as the UN Security Council and the OPCW have shown the importance of the two countries' comprehensive strategic partnership. (Xinhua)