Russian, Chinese leaders to discuss bilateral cooperation, international affairs
MOSCOW. Sept 6 (Interfax) - President Vladimir Putin will meet with Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao at the APEC Vladivostok summit on Friday.
China is one of Russia's leading foreign trade partners. Bilateral trade may top $100 billion this year. Chinese tourist visits to Russia grew by 40% (113,000 people) in the first half of 2012.
The presidents "will discuss topical issues of bilateral cooperation with emphasis on implementing agreements reached during the state visit of the Russian president to China on June 5-6, 2012," Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov said.
They will consider new joint projects in high-tech and energy industries, trans-boundary and cultural and humanitarian cooperation.
Energy plays a special role in Russia-China relations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the June meeting that the sides had confirmed "their plans and intentions to develop energy cooperation, including oil, gas, coal, atomic energy and renewable energy resources."
He said projects would be planned by the next meeting of the Russian and Chinese premiers, which would take place in Moscow this fall.
Putin and Hu ordered the national administrations to draft proposals on the settlement of the oil and gas issue by the autumnal meeting of the premiers, Ushakov said. Gazprom has been holding negotiations on transportation of gas to China by pipeline for a long time. All the parameters but the price have been coordinated. The price has been being negotiated for years.
The Vladivostok meeting will also compare the presidents' positions on a broad range of international and regional subjects, such as cooperation at the APEC, G20 and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the situation on the Korean Peninsula and the Middle East, including Syria, and the Iranian nuclear program, Ushakov said.
