NYT: Russia Uses Its Natural Gas to Play the China Card, Again
Ahead of a key meeting of global leaders in Beijing, Russian officials say that negotiations are heating up with China for a possible second major energy deal this year. If signed, the pact would authorize a new pipeline that could double the amount of natural gas Russia is scheduled to export to China and elevate Russia into a major supplier there.
It would also expand the market for exports from Russia, which has been hit hard by American and European Union sanctions over its interventions in Ukraine. About 80 percent of Russia’s piped natural gas now goes to Europe.
Last week, Alexei Miller, chief executive of the Russian state-owned gas company Gazprom, told President Vladimir V. Putin that the company “plans to sign a contract to supply China with 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas” over 30 years, according to a transcript released by Mr. Putin’s office. During the meeting, Mr. Miller also raised the possibility of Russia supplying “up to 100 billion cubic meters of gas to China.”
A report from Xinhua, the Chinese state news agency, on Mr. Miller’s meeting with Mr. Putin on Sept. 17 said that an agreement with the state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation would be signed in November. President Xi Jinping of China is set to welcome world leaders, including Mr. Putin and President Obama, to Beijing for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting on Nov. 10-11.