Energy talks tackle price disputes
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Vice Premier Wang Qishan and Russian Deputy Prime Minister lgor Sechin co-chaired the seventh round of energy talks between China and Russia Tuesday in Moscow, in a bid to resolve price disputes between energy companies from the two countries.
Wang said the Sino-Russian energy cooperation is comprehensive, long-term and strategic and is an important component of the strategic partnership of coordination between the two countries.
He said "the healthy development of both economies brings historic opportunities for energy cooperation."
He also noted that the Sino-Russian crude oil pipeline has been running smoothly and has delivered more than 6 million tons of oil since it was put into operation in January this year.
Sechin said "the strategic and cooperative partnership between two countries has reached a level that allows us to solve any problems."
China said earlier that disagreements over oil prices between the energy firms of two nations would not hinder bilateral energy cooperation.
China Daily reported that analysts said energy talks at the vice-prime minister level are expected to pave the way for President Hu Jintao's upcoming visit to Russia.
The energy cooperation between the two countries is mutually beneficial as both are seeking the development of energy exports and import diversification, said Xia Yishan, a senior expert on energy strategies and researcher with China Institute of International Studies.
Xia also noted that it is time for a natural gas deal to be finalized after negotiations that have lasted more than a decade.
However, Wang Haiyun, director of the Energy Diplomacy School of the China Foundation for International Studies, did not expect that an agreement could be reached soon on the pricing of natural gas.
He told the National Business Daily that the price currently offered by Russian companies is too much for their Chinese counterparts to bear.
Earlier on Tuesday, Wang visited the headquarters of Russian energy giant Gazprom.
