Chinese Premier Li Keqiang met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Friday ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, calling for enhanced cooperation on SCO and bilateral issues.

The meeting came a day before the 18th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the SCO to be held in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan on Saturday.

Recalling his meeting with Medvedev in St. Petersburg in September during the 24th regular meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government, Li said new consensus was reached on bilateral practical cooperation in various areas.

China and Russia, with a comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, are both important SCO members, said Li.

China stands ready to enhance strategic coordination with Russia in international and regional affairs to jointly safeguard regional and world peace, stability, and prosperity, the premier said.

Photo: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang meets with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on November 1, 2019. /Xinhua

For his part, Medvedev recalled the outcomes of the meeting between Chinese and Russian heads of government not long ago, during which multiple cooperation agreements were signed, and hailed the successful events of the years of local cooperation and exchange between Russia and China.

The two countries designated 2018 and 2019 as the years of local cooperation and exchange in each other's country.

Medvedev called on both countries to take the opportunity of holding the years of scientific and technological innovation in each other's country in 2020 and 2021 to further intensify innovative cooperation and promote the new development of Russia-China cooperation.