Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, on Thursday, in an effort to show their joint diplomatic front against the West.

Lavrov is visiting Bali in Indonesia to attend a two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the Group of 20 countries. It is the first face-to-face meeting of G20 foreign ministers since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February.

At the outset of the talks with Wang, Lavrov called for strengthening bilateral relations. He said in order to build a fairer and more democratic world order, it is important to promote constructive and strategic ties between Russia and China.

Lavrov said Western nations are taking aggressive measures to try to maintain their privileged positions and dominance in international situations. He said that by contrast, Russia's stance is winning the understanding and support of many countries.

He stressed Moscow's intention of vowing to stand hard against the United States and European countries which slapped economic sanctions on Russia over Ukraine.

Lavrov is expected to hold talks with his counterparts from some other emerging economies, such as Turkey, Brazil, South Africa, on the sidelines of the G20 meeting. The moves appear to be aimed at reconfirming cooperative relations with countries which are traditionally friendly toward Russia.