On May 11, 2012, Vice President Xi Jinping met with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the Great Hall of the People.

Xi said China and Russia are comprehensive strategic partners of coordination. Leaders of the two countries fully understand the strategic, long-term and comprehensive nature of China-Russia relations, always take the relationship as one of each other's diplomatic priorities and remain committed to pushing China-Russia pragmatic cooperation in all areas to a new level, Xi said.

President Putin is to pay a state visit to China in early June and attend the Beijing summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as guest of President Hu Jintao, Xi said. "China attaches great importance to the visit, and is in close coordination with Russia on the preparations," Xi said. He expressed his hope that both sides will keep close coordination in the final preparation, and ensure the meeting between the two heads of state becomes a fruitful one that boosts future growth of bilateral ties.

As permanent members of the UN Security Council and major emerging economies, the two countries share the same or similar views and positions on major global and regional issues over the years, and have kept close cooperation and coordination, safeguarded common interests and contributed to overall peace and stability of the region and the world as a whole, said the vice president. The SCO summit in June coincides with the first year for the development of the SCO in its second decade and is of great significance to promoting sound, stable development of the organization. China and Russia are important members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, he said, expressing hope that both sides will take this summit as an opportunity and work with other member states to consolidate and strengthen the SCO, and further cooperation within the mechanism.

In response, Lavrov said he is in China to pave the way for Putin's visit, adding that all preparation work is well underway. He said Russia is satisfied with the sound growth of relations with China. Both sides have established all-round, multi-level cooperation mechanisms. Political mutual trust has reached an unprecedented high level, the bilateral trade volume has hit a record high, and cultural exchanges have become closer. Both sides have conducted sound coordination and cooperation within the frameworks of the United Nations, the Group of Twenty, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as on the situation in West Asia and North Africa and other major international and regional issues. Russia hopes to ramp up cooperation with China in various areas, and take the bilateral comprehensive partnership of strategic coordination to a new stage, he added.

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and other officials attended the meeting.