Russian President Vladimir Putin once again hopes for a personal meeting with Xi Jinping to convince the Chinese president to approve the new Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, which the Kremlin expects to double China’s gas supply.
At the SCO summit in Bishkek, Putin meets with Xi for the second time this year. And the pipeline, which has been under discussion for over a decade and whose construction was initially planned for two years ago, is once again on the agenda, presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov told Interfax.
“This subject will be discussed bilaterally”, said Ushakov, adding that, besides Xi, Putin will meet with the Vice Premier of the State Council of China, Ding Xuexiang, who presides over the intergovernmental commission for energy cooperation for China. “Therefore, it is absolutely logical to meet and discuss bilateral economic cooperation,” added Ushakov.
Despite Putin’s optimistic statements, the Kremlin and Beijing have failed to reach an agreement on the most important issue – the price of gas. According to sources from The Wall Street Journal, China is asking for a reduction to a level close to the Russian domestic average – around 50 dollars per thousand cubic meters.
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