Russia and China need to ensure their gold and currency reserves are secure, Russia's President Vladimir Putin told foreign journalists at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"For us (Russia and China) it is important to deposit those (gold and currency reserves) in a rational and secure way," he said. "And we together need to think of how to do that keeping in mind the uneasy situation in the global economy."

Putin also said China and Russia will consider further steps to shift to use of national currencies in bilateral transactions.