MOSCOW, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- China is ready to work with Russia to make comprehensive preparations for future high-level interactions and make plans for further cooperation in various areas, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in his Friday meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

Wang congratulated the Russian side on successfully hosting the meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries and the meeting of Chinese, Russian and Indian foreign ministers, which have sent a clear signal that the countries stick to multilateralism, protect the authority of international law and preserve the norms of international relations.

Under the strategic leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, bilateral ties have withstood the tests of the COVID-19 pandemic and the changing international situations this year, Wang said, adding that in both countries, economic and social activities are returning to normal and the governance capacity has grown to a new level.

China and Russia have firmly backed each other in the international arena, defended both countries' rightful interests, and effectively responded to the attacks and defamation from some extremist forces in the United States, Wang said.

As this year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations (UN), the two countries have jointly preserved the outcome of the victory in World War II, maintained the core position of the UN, upheld international fairness and justice, and served as a stabilizer in the volatile international situations, he said.

Wang said that China is ready to work with Russia to make comprehensive preparations for future high-level interactions and make plans for further cooperation in various areas.

Both countries should continue their close coordination, better cooperate in epidemic prevention and control, explore new ways of cooperation amid the pandemic, and facilitate cross-border movement of people and freight, he said.

Cyber and information security is an important area of bilateral and international cooperation. Currently, some countries are using their technological advantages to brazenly monitor other countries and steal their information, Wang said.

China recently proposed the "Global Initiative on Data Security" in response to the common concerns about data security and with an aim to create international rules on digital security together with partners, he added.

Lavrov said that Russia is willing to closely interact with China to push forward important events on bilateral and multilateral agendas, and deepen cooperation in various areas to inject new impetus into the development of bilateral ties.

The United States takes destructive steps, follows the Cold War-style "Indo-Pacific strategy" in Asia Pacific, and sows discord among countries in the region, which has caused rifts and even confrontations, the Russian top diplomat said.

Russia stands ready to strengthen strategic coordination with the Chinese side, attach importance to the central role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in regional cooperation, and jointly maintain regional peace and stability, Lavrov said.

He said Russia holds positive opinions about the China-proposed "Global Initiative on Data Security," which is conducive to the creation of international rules on data security as well as further Russia-China cooperation in the area of international information security, against the backdrop that some countries are politicizing information technology and cyber security and containing other countries under the pretext of safeguarding its own national security.

During their meeting, Wang and Lavrov also had in-depth discussion on international and regional issues of common concern.

China and Russia published a joint statement issued by the two foreign ministers to present the two countries' common stands on various global challenges. They met the press together after the talks.