ABC News
source: ABC
Russia says it has “very serious expectations” for President Vladimir Putin’s trip to China this week.
Mr Putin arrives in Beijing on Tuesday, local time, for a two-day visit, and will meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to “develop their privileged partnership”, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The Russian delegation will be made up of deputy prime ministers, government ministers and company heads, including those from oil producer Rosneft, and gas firms Novatek and Gazprom.
The visit comes days after Mr Xi hosted US President Donald Trump in Beijing.
The Kremlin insisted there was “no correlation” between the visits, with this one planned well in advance to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the 2001 Sino-Russian Treaty of Friendship.
During the trip, the Russian leader will discuss all aspects of bilateral relations with his Chinese counterpart, including the proposed Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said close ties between Moscow and Beijing were increasingly important amid global crises.
The proposed Power of Siberia 2, long under discussion, could one day deliver an additional 50 billion cubic metres of gas a year from Russia’s Arctic gas fields, via Mongolia, to China.
Russia boosted oil supplies to China by more than a third to 31 million tonnes in the first quarter of this year, according to Mr Ushakov
