Wang met with leaders of the China-Russia Strategic Security Consultation Mechanism and Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and both sides discussed ways to improve global governance, according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry.

The two sides exchanged views on the Ukraine situation, the statement said, without elaborating. It added the two sides expressed their willingness to jointly practice “true multilateralism, oppose all forms of unilateral bullying, and promote the democratisation of international relations and the multi-polarisation of the world”.

Wang was due to meet Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday as part of a visit to Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said he does not rule out a meeting between Wang and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying “there is lots to talk about”.