Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks during a meeting with Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi on the sidelines of the G20 summit

Mr Minister,
Dear friend,

Thank you so much for your attention to my health. It is true, the "hospitalisation" was yet another piece of Western fake news.

Although I would like to clarify: yesterday I did not rest but prepared for today's meeting, despite my informal clothing.

I am glad to meet with you again, for the tenth meeting this year. The leaders of Russia and China also maintain regular contacts. Their latest meeting was held in Samarkand, on the sidelines of the SCO Heads of State Council meeting. They reaffirmed the tasks that we are working on at this new stage in our relations.

I also want to congratulate you, this time in person, and our Chinese friends present here on the successful 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC). We were all glad to hear that Mr Xi Jinping, the long-time friend of the Russian nation, was unanimously re-elected as General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee. The re-election confirmed his incontestable political authority and support for his political course.

We are confident that, after the renewal of the party and state leadership following the congress and the upcoming session of the National People's Congress, the continuity of approaches towards our overarching partnership and strategic cooperation will be ensured. There is no doubt that we can take advantage of new opportunities to fully realise the potential of our bilateral links.

Also, I would like to personally congratulate you on being elected to the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee. This is an acknowledgement of your achievements. As a permanent member of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I understand the scope of responsibility at this level very well.

I am glad to see you and I am certain that today, we will successfully discuss the tasks set by our leaders.