Russia sees it has become much more important to forge an energy cooperation alliance with China to meet the interests of both sides and secure energy networks, Andrey Denisov, Russia’s Ambassador to China, said at a press conference on Wednesday.
As a major consumer of energy products, China buys oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and Russia is a major supplier of those products, so a tie-up between the two countries will help establish secure energy relations, Denisov said during the conference held in Beijing.
The two countries have seen significant progress in further enhancing bilateral relations in 2018, and “this special bond could enable us to tackle all the problems,” of increased external pressure, Denisov noted.
Meanwhile, the eastern route for Russian gas exports to China will be finalized next year, and natural gas deliveries will commence on December 20, 2019, the ambassador said. “It will be the largest energy cooperation in terms of scale and will deliver 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year,” he said.