The Great Game Changer: Belt and Road Intiative (BRI; OBOR)

[Chinese-Dragon]

Xi Jinping and Putin seem to get along really well in person.

I'm looking forward to seeing some really huge deals during this visit.

 

[cirr]

Xi Jinping and Putin seem to get along really well in person.

I'm looking forward to seeing some really huge deals during this visit.

The two chaps are scheduled to see each other in Nov。for the 3rd time in 2014.

 

[Mao1949]

Sino-Russian package covers energy, infrastructure and high-tech sectors

A record-breaking 49 agreements were reached between Beijing and Moscow on Tuesday, covering political, trade and military areas in a move to further strengthen the Sino-Russian partnership.

President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin also issued a joint statement on the future of bilateral relations.

The two countries would expand local currency settlement for bilateral trade, cross-border investment and financing, and strengthen exchanges to formulate macro-economic policies, the statement said.

Putin, who is visiting Shanghai for an Asian security summit, is accompanied by a huge delegation of high-ranking officials and business leaders.

It was the seventh time Xi and Putin had met since they both became heads of state more than a year ago.

Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary on Tuesday that the frequent top-level meetings indicate increasing friendly ties between Beijing and Moscow and deepening friendship between the two leaders — two cornerstones for the development of Sino-Russian relations.

Xi announced the agreements during a joint news conference after talks with Putin.

Although a long-awaited natural gas deal remained to be signed, both sides vowed to continue efforts.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, "Talks will continue and substantial progress has been reached, but there is still work to do on price."

The total value of the deals signed remained unclear, but Putin's presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told ITAR-TASS news agency that the package would set a record.

The 49-deal package includes cooperation in the finance, energy, infrastructure and high-tech sectors.

The two countries vowed to increase bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2015 and to $200 billion by 2020, from $90 billion last year.

Russia's trade volume with China could surpass that with the European Union, said Alexander Lukin, vice-rector at the Russian Foreign Ministry's Diplomatic Academy.

"Russia's trade turnover with China is on the rise and is now considered just as important. The more sanctions Europe will impose, the closer Russia will move to Asia, in particular to China," Lukin said.

The package also highlights cooperation at local level on Chinese investment in Russia's Far East. ITAR-TASS reported that the Russia-China Investment Fund would invest about $400 million on building the first Russian-Chinese border railway bridge across the Amur River (or Heilongjiang River in Chinese), capable of handling 21 million tons of goods annually.

The bridge would cut the cargo transportation route by 700 km and create a new export corridor, the news agency said.

The two countries also strengthened military cooperation. Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that they would jointly design a long-haul wide-bodied aircraft and produce Mil Mi-26 heavy transport helicopters in China.

It quoted sources from the Russian delegation on Monday as saying that Russia's United Aircraft Corp had drawn up a sketch project and feasibility study for the long-haul, wide-bodied jet.

A source told Kommersant: "This project is supposed to be a rival to US and European aircraft, and China is interested in building at least 1,000 jets. If the project is successful, we may set up a joint venture at some point to compete full-scale against Airbus and Boeing. We are prepared to buy these aircraft for domestic needs as well."

Putin's visit came as Moscow's relations with the United States and the European Union have plunged in recent months over the crisis in Ukraine.

Vasily Kashin, an expert on Sino-Russian relations at CAST, a defense think tank in Moscow, said Russia was likely to try to use Putin's trip to boost ties with China at a time when relations with the West were strained by sanctions over Ukraine.

The Financial Times reported that under pressure from the West, Putin wanted to demonstrate that his government was not isolated and had partners that would help it to stand up to Europe and, particularly, the US.

But Gao Fei, a professor of Russian studies at China Foreign Affairs University, said a Sino-Russian strategic partnership was not due to pressure from the West, adding that both countries were striving to develop their economies and seeking solid foreign partnership.

Qu Xing, head of the China Institute of International Studies, said the Sino-Russian relationship featuring equality and mutual support stood as an example of relations between major powers.

 

[BoQ77]

 

[Pangu]

You really are trying too hard my friend.

 

[tranquilium]

First part made certain sense, but probably won't be put into practice as all tools and leverages would be used in international politics, including economics and war. I think the main thing they are aiming at is the "unilateral" part. I am not optimistic about it though.

Second part is very interesting because while I am sure the statement is mainly aimed at cyber security, it certain hit a very interesting issue. Basically, it involves the issue that how should people behave in cyberspace. Should the standard social convention be applied to it? How much of the cyber space behaviour should be covered under legal territory? I always maintain that you shouldn't say anything on the internet that you are not prepared to say in the real life, but even I have to admit that I would say some stuff online that I wouldn't say in the real life out of politeness. There is, of course, the opinion that cyber space should be "as free as possible", but in my opinion, that's just a bad idea all around.

 

[Pangu]

Russia and China seal historic $400bn gas deal
Published time: May 21, 2014 09:29
Get short URL

RIA Novosti/Sergey Guneev

China, Energy, Gas, Natural resources, Russia, Trade
After 10 years of negotiations, Russia's Gazprom and China's CNPC have finally signed a historic gas deal which will provide the world's fastest growing economy with the natural gas it needs to keep pace for the next 30 years.

A memorandum of understanding was signed in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping on the second day of Putin’s two-day state visit to Shanghai.


RT ✔ @RT_com
Follow
PHOTO: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping celebrate 'gas deal of the century' between Russia, China http://on.rt.com/jjn3m8
6:22 PM - 21 May 2014

The price China will pay for Russian gas remains a "commercial secret" according to Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller. Gas will be delivered to China's via the eastern 'Power of Siberia' pipeline.

RT producers were informed of the landmark energy deal prior to its signing after a conversation with Miller.

Under the long-term deal, Gazprom will begin providing China's growing economy with 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year for the next 30 years, beginning in 2018. The details of the deal were discussed for more than 10 years, with Moscow and Beijing negotiating over gas prices and the pipeline route, as well as possible Chinese stakes in Russian projects.

Just ahead of Putin's visit to Shanghai, Russian Prime Minister DmitryMedvedev gave reassurance that the agreed price would be fair.

“One side always wants to sell for a higher price, while the other wants to buy for a lower price,” Medvedev said. “I believe that in the long run, the price will be fair and totally comparable to the price of European supplies.”

A major breakthrough in negotiations came on Sunday as Gazprom chief Aleksey Miller sat down with his CNPC counterpart, Zhou Jiping, in Beijing to discuss final details, including price formulas.

Although Europe is still Russia's largest energy market – buying more than 160 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas in 2013 – Moscow will use every opportunity to diversify gas deliveries and boost its presence in Asian markets.

“I wouldn’t look for politics behind this, but I have no doubt that supplying energy to the Asia Pacific Region holds out a great promise in the future,”Medvedev said.

In October 2009, Gazprom and CNPC inked a framework agreement for the Altai project which envisions building a pipeline to supply natural gas from fields in Siberia via the western part of the Russia-China border.

In March 2013, Gazprom and CNPC signed a memorandum of understanding on Russian gas supplies to China along the so-called eastern 'Power of Siberia' route. When both pipelines are activated, Russia can supply Asia with 68 billion cubic meters of gas annually.

Last year, China consumed about 170 billion cubic meters of natural gas and is expected to consume 420 billion cubic meters per year by 2020.

Russia and China seal historic $400bn gas deal — RT Business

 

[Raphael]

No regime change. No sanctions. No asset freezes. No contract cancellations. This is the basic standard of civilized behavior expected from sovereign states. If they can't meet these standards, then they are a pariah state.

 

[Raphael]

Just yesterday the NYT was gloating about how China and Russia had failed to reach an agreement, before Putin had even left China:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/21/world/asia/china-russia.html?src=twr&smid=tw-nytimesworld

Western media is so shameless.

 

[xuxu1457]

Middle Asia area exports 80billion cubic meters gas to China every year, and Russia will export 68 cubic meters gas after 2018 every year

 

[cirr]

 

[Tshering22]

Good move. Time to dump the USD.

 

[BoQ77]

why create so many thread about this ... there's a thread focus on this ...
Congrat !!! I guess Russia accepted more reasonable price.
China may try to make a bargain with lower price yesterday.

 

[eazzy]

Yesterday every western journal said the deal would be delayed...

 

[vostok]