BEIJING -- President Xi Jinping said Tuesday that China and Russia should bolster mutual support within multilateral frameworks, safeguard their development and security interests, unite the Global South countries, and push the international order toward a more just and equitable direction.

Xi made the remarks during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Beijing, calling on both sides to support each other in steering the development direction of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), injecting new momentum into the SCO, and making the strategic platform more substantive and stronger.