JOHANNESBURG -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed China-Russia relations with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Thursday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era is advancing to a higher level and broader dimensions.

The two sides have maintained steady progress in mutually beneficial cooperation and engaged in close and effective strategic coordination, playing a crucial role in safeguarding the common interests of both countries and their peoples while advancing the process of global multipolarity, Wang said.

China is willing to work with Russia to fully implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state and to further advance China-Russia relations in the new year, he added.

Lavrov, for his part, said that Russia is willing to work with China to strengthen high-level exchanges, deepen practical cooperation in economy, trade, finance, culture, and other fields, and promote the further development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

Noting that Russia and China both uphold multipolarity and serve as stabilizing forces in a complex and turbulent world, he said that Russia highly recognizes the global initiatives put forward by China, values the high level of mutual trust between the two countries, and is willing to continue to strengthen communication and coordination with China under the BRICS mechanism, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the United Nations, the G20, and other frameworks.

The two sides also exchanged views and coordinated positions on international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the situation in the Middle East.