Banners of the G20 summit are seen fluttering across the street in Osaka, Japan on Monday. Photo: VCG

Leaders of China, Russia and India on Friday agreed to further their cooperation to promote regional peace and uphold multilateralism for the long-term interest of the international community. 

The consensus was reached at a meeting of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which was held on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.

They agreed to support multilateralism, free trade and economic globalization, accurately grasp the direction of WTO reforms and strengthen energy cooperation, Wu Jianghao, representative of the Chinese delegation in G20 summit, said at a press briefing on Friday.

Reporters continued to question the spokesperson after the press briefing, trying to get more information on the trilateral meeting and how it could influence a scheduled meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump.

Some interviewees told the Global Times that the meeting could exert pressure on Trump's stance on China. Xi and Trump are scheduled to meet on Saturday amid escalating trade tensions.

The three nations also agreed to jointly tackle hot political issues, strengthen international counter-terrorism cooperation and cope with global climate change.

They pledged to continue to maintain, utilize and develop their trilateral cooperation mechanism to make greater contributions to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the region and the world.

The China-India-Russia partnership is strategic in BRICS, and their stronger partnership could mean a lot for global trade and economy, an Osaka resident surnamed Uchiyama told the Global Times on Friday.

The trilateral meeting is a great example of how countries negotiate to decide the course of economic development and make the world better, said Uchiyama.

It marked the second meeting between the three leaders in seven months.