Foreign and Military Affairs

Russian minister: Energy co-op with China 'unique'

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-06-14 10:25

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - There was a great scope and enormous potential for the "unique" energy cooperation between Russia and China, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko told Xinhua in St. Petersburg on Monday.

Shmatko made the remarks at a press conference after a seminar sponsored by the Russian Energy Ministry on development of fuel and energy.

Answering a question raised by Xinhua on Sino-Russian energy cooperation, Shmatko said the bilateral energy cooperation was "unique" in form and scale.

Shmatko noted there were still rooms for the further development of the bilateral cooperation in various fields, including the fields of electric power, energy equipment manufacturing, coal, and renewable and clean energy.

The two countries have reached an agreement on Russia's oil supply to China, and they were expected to reach a similar agreement in energy cooperation, Shmatko said.

"The bilateral cooperation in these fields is of strategic significance for both parts," Shmatko said.

At the end of May, Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Qishan visited Russia and attended the seventh round of the Sino-Russian energy negotiators' meeting. During their talks, the two sides reached consensus on several issues of common concern.

The Sino-Russian crude oil pipeline project was put into operation on Jan 1 this year, which was seen as a breakthrough in bilateral energy cooperation between the two countries.