Gazprom’s Reception Hall Bogorodskoye has hosted the talks between a China National Petroleum Corporation delegation headed by Zhou Jiping, Vice President of CNPC and a Gazprom delegation led by Alexander Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Gazprom’s Management Committee. The talks were held in a warm and amicable atmosphere.

The parties identified the paramount activities to be stepped up within the framework of the Protocol on natural gas supply from Russia to PRC and agreed on a timetable of the commercial talks. The next meeting is to take place in the beginning of June.

In the course of the talks the Chinese side confirmed that Russian gas deliveries remained a priority for China in view of its growing gas demand.

Reference:

On March 21, 2006, Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation signed in Beijing a Protocol on natural gas supply from Russia to the People’s Republic of China, fixing the major accords on the supply timing, amount and routes (Eastern and Western), and gas pricing formula principles.

The parties plan to finalize the commercial talks on the Russian natural gas supply terms until year-end 2006 so that deliveries via the Western route could begin in 2011 already.