China's top diplomat said his country will work with Russia to promote "real democracy," reaffirming Beijing's ties with Moscow.

"China is willing to work together with Russia and the global community to promote real democracy based on nations' own conditions," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday via video link at a China-Russia think tank summit, Bloomberg reported.

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov also attended the event, Bloomberg said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Wang as saying that bilateral relations between China and Russia had "withstood the new test of the changing international situation, maintained the correct direction of progress, and shown tenacious development momentum," the Independent reported.

Wang took a not-so-subtle shot at the U.S. when he said that "monopolizing" the definition of democracy and human rights to influence other nations was a tactic "doomed to fail."

Since Russia began an unprovoked attack on Ukraine, China has tried to portray itself as being neutral.

Chinese President Xi Jinping declared a "no limits" friendship with Russia President Vladimir Putin on the eve of the invasion and reportedly refrained from speaking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Independent reported.

Without mentioning the ongoing war, Wang on Wednesday said China and Russia should "continue to make important contributions" to global governance as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Global and regional security should not be achieved through "strengthening military groups" and "fragmenting supply chains," said Wang, in an apparent reference to both NATO expansion and Western sanctions imposed on Russia, Bloomberg reported.

"China and Russia should continue to join hands with peace-loving countries in the world to safeguard the global order with the U.N. at its core and based on international laws," Wang added.

China and Russia last week vetoed a U.N. resolution sponsored by the United States that would have imposed tough new sanctions on North Korea for its spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches that can be used to deliver nuclear weapons.

Lavrov early last week said that Moscow would consider offers from the West to re-establish ties and determine whether that is needed, but will focus on developing relations with China.

During his first visit to Beijing in March, Lavrov said, "We, together with you, and with our sympathizers will move towards a multipolar, just, democratic world order."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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