Heads of Russian, Chinese govts to meet in Dec, parties developing cooperation in energy
MOSCOW. Nov 18 (Interfax) - A regular meeting between the heads of the Russian and Chinese governments is planned for December of this year, the Russian government press service said following an intergovernmental Russian-Chinese commission on energy cooperation meeting.
The commission is co-chaired by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak and Han Zheng, vice premier of China's State Council.
The parties discussed via videoconference the implementation of investment projects, cooperation the sphere of supplies of oil, gas, and coal, and projects in the area of energy and the nuclear industry, the press service said.
"Despite the challenges that our countries are facing at the current stage, energy cooperation is progressively moving forward in all directions, is being enriched with new content, and is acquiring the nature of a genuine strategic alliance," Novak said.
Trade turnover between Russia and China is demonstrating positive trends, he said.
"We are committed to the closest partnership with China in all areas of cooperation in the sphere of energy. We have already achieved considerable good results. However, it is obvious that the potential for our cooperation has not been implemented in full. Additional opportunities for this open up in the current situation, and they need to be used effectively," Novak said.
According to information on the Russian government website, Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov and co-owner of Novatek and SIBUR Leonid Mikhelson, among others, took part in the intergovernmental commission meeting on the part of Russia. Chinese companies are participating in major Novatek liquefied natural gas projects Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2, the latter still under construction. Chinese companies own 9.5% of SIBUR, with Sinopec separately holding 40% in the Amur Gas Chemical Complex project being implemented by SIBUR.
Novak also said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 television channel that the preparation of an intergovernmental agreement on a project to supply gas to China from Russia's Far East was discussed at the meeting, as well as the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline project being implemented by Gazprom .