Russia leading supplier of oil, gas to China, increasing coal exports - Putin

MOSCOW. Nov 25 (Interfax) - Russia is the largest supplier of oil and gas to the Chinese market, and specialists of the two countries are working jointly on updating technologies for the extraction and processing of energy resources, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"Relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China continue to expand. Without a doubt, the energy sector is a priority in practical cooperation between our countries," Putin said in his greetings to the participants, the organizer and guests of the 7th Russian-Chinese Energy Business Forum. The message was published on the Kremlin website on Tuesday.

"Truly large-scale joint projects are being implemented in the fuel and energy sphere. They play an important role in the economic and technological development of our respective countries. Russia is the leading supplier of crude oil and natural gas to China, and is stepping up its coal exports," he said.

"Russian and Chinese specialists have been cooperating successfully in building nuclear power plants and developing environmentally friendly energy sources, as well as improving technologies for extracting and processing energy resources," Putin said.

"The Russia-China Energy Business Forum is an effective mechanism for maintaining direct dialogue between the two countries' sector-specific companies. I anticipate you enjoying constructive and productive discussions this year as well, and seeing your proposals and initiatives come to real-life fruition," he said.