CHINA: Premier Wen Jiabao welcomes Russia's Putin to Beijing in a visit that will be overshadowed by disagreements over a huge gas deal

Record ID: 872898

  • Title: CHINA: Premier Wen Jiabao welcomes Russia's Putin to Beijing in a visit that will be overshadowed by disagreements over a huge gas deal
  • Date: 12th October 2011
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (OCTOBER 11, 2011) (REUTERS) **CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** TIANANMEN SQUARE VARIOUS OF CHINESE AND RUSSIAN NATIONAL FLAGS FLYING RUSSIAN PRIME MINISTER VLADIMIR PUTIN AND CHINESE PREMIER WEN JIABAO WALKING UP TO PODIUM
  • Embargoed: 27th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: China, China
  • City:
  • Country: China
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAAEKZF2G0B40Y9K3C78EIPBDW4
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin opened talks with his Chinese counterpart Premier Wen Jiabao on Tuesday (October 11), at the start of a visit that is unlikely to break through barriers to a huge gas deal despite mutual vows of goodwill.
    China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin hailed the visit as a chance to deepen cooperation, but the two giant neighbours have so far failed to seal the gas deal that has been negotiated for years.
    "China and Russia are friendly neighbours and strategic partners. Both sides have made progress in cooperations in various areas in recent years. We believe through Prime Minister Putin's visit this time, China-Russia strategic cooperative partnership will achieve a new level," Liu told reporters at a regular news briefing in Beijing.
    During the visit, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin is due to hold talks with Vice Premier Wang Qishan to try to narrow disagreements that have held Russia back from signing a 30-year deal to supply China with up to 68 billion cubic metres of gas per year.
    The tortuous gas negotiations have been a reminder that, despite frequent professions of brotherly goodwill between Moscow and Beijing, relations are held back by mutual distrust, especially on the Russian side, extending back to the Cold War, when border disputes almost erupted in full-fledged war.
    But the two neighbours have found common ground in opposing what both see as excessive meddling and pressure on the international stage by the United States and its allies.
    Russia and China joined forces last week to veto a European-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Syria for its bloody crackdown on protesters.
    Russia wants to diversify its trade with China, which is expected to grow to $100 billion U.S.dollars in 2020 from $59.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2010.
    And Putin has brought an army of Russian executives including the CEOs of state-controlled energy firms Gazprom and Rosneft and aluminium producer UC RUSAL, all eager to exchange their wares for Chinese cash.
    On Wednesday (October 12), Putin will meet Chinese President Hu Jintao.
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