Foreign Minister Wang Yi met on Monday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Brics foreign ministers' meeting in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"The game between unilateralism and multilateralism is fierce, and competition between maintaining hegemony and fighting hegemony is unfolding around the world," the statement quoted Wang as saying.

Foreign ministers of Brazil, China, Russia and other Brics members began two days of talks in Rio de Janeiro on Monday aimed at forging a united front to US President Donald Trump's aggressive trade policies.

Top diplomats from the 11-member bloc - which includes Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates - met to hone their agenda ahead of a July leaders summit.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira stressed the importance of dialogue at a time of "humanitarian crises, armed conflicts, political instability and the erosion of multilateralism."

Brics' "role as a group is more important than ever," he said.

Trump, since returning to the White House in January, has hit dozens of countries with a blanket 10 percent tariff, and China with levies of up to 145 percent on many products.

Senior Chinese economic planner Zhao Chenxin said on Monday in Beijing that the country was on the "right side of history" in the face of what he called Washington's "unilateralism and bullying."

Vieira opened the talks with a call for a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, terming Israel's more than 50-day aid blockade of the territory unacceptable.

He also called for a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine war which respects the "principles and objectives" of the United Nations charter. (AFP)