Gazprom, CNPC to continue gas talks next week
BEIJING. July 20 (Interfax) - The deputy head of Russian gas giant Gazprom , Alexander Medvedev, will be in Beijing next week for the continuation of negotiations with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) for Russian gas shipments to China, a source close to CNPC management told Interfax.
"The negotiations are continuing. Deputy chief of Gazprom Alexander Medvedev is coming to Beijing next week," this source said.
"It is not very likely that the sides will be able to get to the signing of a contract by the regular meeting of the two countries' prime ministers in the autumn of 2011," the source said.
"The differences as to issues of price and other financial aspects are too great, particularly regarding the advance of $25 billion that Gazprom is insisting on, and taking them off the table in a short time is not realistic," the source said.
The fact that Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller met three times in Moscow with CNPC top executive Jiang Jiemin ahead of Chinese leader Hu Jintao's June visit to Russia, the source said, is evidence that "Gazprom is interested in clinching a contract."
"Simple interest is not enough, it is important that both sides are candid," the source added.
Previously, a source also close to CNPC management announced that Gazprom wanted to get an advance of some $25 billion from CNPC for future gas deliveries.
A gap yet persists between the Russian and Chinese pricing proposals. Where it had been around $100 per thousand cubic meters of gas, it subsequently narrowed to roughly $65.