The upcoming BRICS summit, unity in the Global South, border affairs and peace in the Middle East were key topics of a series of bilateral talks held by senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi in Russia's St. Petersburg.

Earlier this week, Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee, attended a high-level BRICS conference on security affairs there.

On Thursday, Wang met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and talked respectively with senior officials of India and Iran in charge of national security affairs.

The BRICS summit in Russia's Kazan next month will be the grouping's first leaders' meeting in the wake of its most recent historic expansion.

Putin expressed his warm expectations for the Chinese side to attend the summit and appreciated Beijing's support for Russia's BRICS presidency.

Russia is ready to strengthen coordination with China to unite more Global South countries, join hands to push forward the world's multipolarization process and build an international order based on justice and international law, he added.

The senior diplomat conveyed President Xi Jinping's cordial greetings to Putin, saying China will continue to fully support Russia in fulfilling its duties as the chair of BRICS and to make the summit a success.

He noted that the two countries had strengthened strategic collaboration, opposed unilateralism and hegemony and rejected bloc confrontation, which is "in line with the progressive trend of the times and the common aspiration of the vast number of South countries".

At a separate meeting on Thursday, Wang talked to India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, and they discussed the progress made in recent bilateral consultations on border affairs.

The two countries agreed that achieving stability in China-India relations is in the fundamental and long-term interests of the two peoples and is conducive to regional peace and development.

"Both sides agreed to implement the consensus of the leaders of the two countries, work to enhance understanding and mutual trust, create conditions for the improvement of bilateral ties and continue to maintain communication in this regard," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Eastern civilizations

Wang referred to two shared identities of China and India — ancient Eastern civilizations and emerging developing major countries.

The two countries "should uphold independence and self-reliance and choose unity and cooperation; stick to making each other successful and avoid draining each other", he said.

It is believed that "both sides have the wisdom and ability to look at each other in a proper perspective", deal with differences in a pragmatic manner and find the right way for the two neighboring major countries to get along with each other through constructive thinking, he said.

Doval said India and China should focus on their respective and common development and the rapid development of the 2.8 billion Indian and Chinese people will change the whole world.

Also on Thursday, Wang met with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

China appreciates the new Iranian administration's reaffirming commitment to friendship with China and its plan to deepen Iran-China relations. Last year, Iran and Saudi Arabia realized a historic reconciliation in Beijing.

Wang said China supports Iran and countries in the Middle East region to further resolve their differences through dialogue and consultation, build on the hard-won momentum of reconciliation and "keep the process for improving relations moving forward, and send positive signals for regional peace and stability".

Ahmadian said Iran's new administration is firmly committed to consolidating and strengthening its friendship with China and is willing to work with China to expand allaround practical cooperation.

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