China's foreign minister Wang Yi and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov have reconfirmed that their countries will continue working closely together.

Wang, who was reappointed as foreign minister after his predecessor Qin Gang was dismissed, and Lavrov talked over the phone on Monday.

China's foreign ministry quoted Wang as saying that the value of trade between the two countries has reached a record high and energy cooperation is steadily growing.

Wang also reportedly said Beijing will uphold an independent and impartial position on any international multilateral occasion, in an apparent reference to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Lavrov was reported to have endorsed a position paper put forward by China calling for dialogue and ceasefire in Ukraine without demanding a Russian military withdrawal. He also welcomed China playing a constructive role in the issue.

The two praised the development of bilateral relations, according to Russia's foreign ministry. They also agreed that Russia and China would reject any Western attempt to contain their development through sanctions.