China, Russia reach 'new consensus'

China and Russia have reached a new consensus on regional hotspot issues of common concern following a meeting in Azerbaijan between Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday. The two held talks in Baku on the sidelines of a meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (Cica). Xinhua also said both sides also coordinated their positions on high-level exchanges between China and Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the discussions touched on "relations with the United States and the situation around the Ukrainian and Iranian crises." Both China and Russia have called for an end to the Iran conflict, saying it could expand and threaten stability throughout the region. Noting that the Apec Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Shenzhen next month, Wang also expressed confidence that with the support of Russia and other parties, the Apec "China Year" will yield fruitful results, and that all parties will work together to reinvigorate the historic process of building an Asia-Pacific community and inject strong impetus into development and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. He also said China stands ready to work closely with Cica members, including Russia, to practice true multilateralism...