Strengthening ties with Beijing is the Kremlin's main political goal, a senior Moscow official said during a visit to China.

Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the National Security Council chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin, described "strengthening the comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation with China as an unconditional priority of Russian foreign policy."

At the meeting with Guo Shengkun, a high-ranking official of the Communist Party of China, Patrushev stressed that the two countries must show "an even greater readiness for mutual support and development of cooperation" in the current conditions. ;

After the meeting held in the Chinese city of Nanping, Patrushev's office stated in a statement that the two sides agreed to expand the exchange of information about foreign attempts to undermine the constitutional order of the two countries aimed at threatening the independent policy of Russia and China.

As Patrushev's office announced, they also agreed on expanding cooperation in the field of cyber-security and strengthening contacts between national agencies in the fight against terrorism.