On the evening of 19 November, President Jiang Zemin answered a telephone call from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Putin briefed President Jiang on his latest visit to the United States, for which President Jiang expressed his thanks.

The two sides exchanged views on bilateral ties and major international issues.

On the Afghan issue, President Putin held that the future Afghan government should be broadly-based, including all the ethnic groups and factions of Afghanistan. The UN should play a more active role.

President Jiang stressed that what is most important at the moment is to urge the various Afghan parties to establish as soon as possible an interim authority. China stands for a future Afghan government that is broadly based and representative of the interests of various ethnic groups. China supports the UN Security Council resolution on the establishment of an interim government in Afghanistan. China calls for a leading role by the UN on the Afghan issue.  

The two sides committed themselves to greater cooperation in the fight against terrorism. They believe that the first meeting of the Sino-Russian anti-terrorist working group to be held in Beijing at the end of the month will be of great significance to the strengthening of bilateral strategic coordination.