Putin brings oil, gas, atomic chiefs to China talks

Beijing, Mar 21: President Vladimir Putin brought Russia's top energy chiefs to Beijing today (Mar 21, 2006) for talks with Chinese leaders who have signalled their frustration at a lack of progress in boosting Russian oil and gas imports.

Accompanying the Russian leader were Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko and Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev, as well as Sergei Bogdanchikov and Alexei Miller, the heads of state oil firm Rosneft and gas giant Gazprom respectively.

Putin, who made no comment on his arrival at Beijing airport, has made ''energy security'' the theme of Russia's current presidency of the G8 group of industrialised nations.

He said in November that diversifying energy export routes was a top priority, with supplies to Asia of paramount importance.

But China's top energy planner Zhang Guobao has called the slow movement in Russian plans for new pipelines ''regrettable'' and criticised the Russian government's unwillingness to support Chinese efforts to invest in Russia's energy sector.

China wants Russia to go firm on a possible 30 million tonne per year (600,000 barrel per day) oil pipeline as well as a natural gas supply line to feed its booming economy.

But officials have not indicated that Putin's meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao will bring any breakthrough.

They have said the documents due to be signed include a possible investment framework for the oil pipeline and a preliminary deal on a gas pipeline, with no definite dates.

But in the area of nuclear energy, cooperation is already well under way. Russia's nuclear power chief Sergei Kiriyenko, also travelling with Putin, plans to extend his trip to travel to the Tianwan plant which Russia is helping to build.

China has said Russia's continued involvement at Tianwan, in the eastern province of Jiangsu, depends on the strength of its work on the first two generating units, which are due to go on stream towards the end of this year.

China plans to build 27 nuclear plants in the next 15 years and Russia intends to tender for every project, Itar-Tass news agency reported after a briefing by Kiriyenko last week.

Russia, which plans 40 new nuclear plants on its own territory by 2030, also wants to offer re-processing facilities to developing countries, enabling them to gain nuclear power while removing material that could be used for making weapons.

Reuters