On July 13, 2007, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, who is on an official visit to Russia, held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. Both sides spoke highly of China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership and reached consensus on deepening their strategic cooperation.

Yang said the Sino-Russian strategic cooperative partnership has reached its highest level. The theme years of China and Russia give an impetus to the overall development of bilateral relations of the two countries, he said. At this moment, both sides should push the bilateral relations to a new height according to the common ground reached by presidents Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin, Yang said. "Both sides should trust and support one another, especially on issues related to the key interest of the other side," Yang said. "It is important to raise the quality of economic and trade cooperation, enlarge investment, strengthen economic integration between the two countries, and make out the high priority and key projects of future technological cooperation to promote cooperation on high tech and large projects," he said. He also urged both sides to make medium- and long-term plans for social cooperation to consolidate the social and public foundations of China-Russia friendship. The foreign minister suggested that the two countries give full play to the role of the strategic security consultation mechanism to work closely in international affairs.

Agreeing with Yang's proposals, Lavrov said the Russia-China strategic cooperation has borne fruit within not only bilateral but also multilateral frameworks. "The bountiful events of 'Year of China in Russia' have won lots of applause from the Russian people," Lavrov said, adding that "bilateral trade turnover will be higher than ever before, and the efforts to improve trade structure are taking effect." He expressed the hope that both sides will enhance cooperation in areas such as investment, culture, public health and environmental protection and expand regional cooperation between the two countries.

They also expressed the readiness to prepare for the meeting between the two presidents at the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit due in August.

The two ministers exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. They vowed to work actively with other parties on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue and push the six-party talks to develop towards a more positive direction.

Prior to the talks, Yang Jiechi went to the Red Square in Moscow to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.