"Cooperation between Russia and China in military and technical areas has been developing very well recently. It makes a great contribution to security, [both] global and regional," Li said.
The Chinese minister said that Beijing stands ready to continue cooperating with Russia for global prosperity.
"We are standing shoulder to shoulder and working to improve the well-being of our peoples. Considering that economic recovery is very slow, and the world is very turbulent, there is a great need for peace, peaceful relations between countries ... Cooperation [with Russia] is developing at all levels, and we will continue this cooperation for the development and prosperity of the world," the minister said.
Li, who was appointed China's defense minister in March, told Putin that he picked Russia for his first foreign visit to "emphasize the special nature and strategic importance of our bilateral relations."
He added that Moscow and Beijing enjoy robust relations that surpass the Cold War-era alliances and are not directed against third countries. Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping "are bound by friendship and everyone in China knows this," the Chinese minister noted.