In this file photo taken on March 29, 2018, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova speaks to the media in Moscow. (YURI KADOBNOV / AFP)

MOSCOW - Russia "positively assesses" China's decision to optimize its COVID-19 response policies, including those regarding cross-border movement of people and freight, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

"We are interested in a strong, dynamically developing China and interested in strengthening and diversifying our multifaceted practical ties," the ministry's spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said at her weekly briefing when answering a question about the prospects for China's economic development after the adjustment of COVID-19 response policies.

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"We are ready to cooperate with our partners to ensure the further intensification of Russian-Chinese trade and economic cooperation as well as the resumption of coordinated large-scale exchanges between the people of our countries," she added.