Russia agrees to sign price discount agreement for China Natural Gas

China Economic network Beijing, November 24 (Wang Hongjuan) The Moscow Times reported today that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said in Tuesday that Russia and China have made progress in negotiations on gas export prices, and that the two countries will sign the agreement as soon as next year.　　Putin told the media after a meeting with visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that negotiations between Gazprom and CNPC were progressing well and Russia's natural gas exports to China would be scheduled.　　Putin and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao held talks in Tuesday in Streiner City (Strelna) in the southern suburbs of St Petersburg, where the leaders exchanged views on strengthening economic and trade exchanges between China and Russia and the price of gas from Russia to China. According to the Moscow Times report, Russia will deliver 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas to China from 2015 through the Altai pipeline, based on an agreement reached at the time of the first visit to China by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (Medvedev) earlier this year. The report said that the talks between China and Russia on the price of natural gas have begun in 2006, but have not been able to reach an agreement. China has asked Russia to give the appropriate discount on the basis of insisting on the price of natural gas in China and Europe on par.　　Russian gas in the negotiations agreed to give China price discounts and other concessions, but the discount rate and specific preferential measures are not yet determined. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, who participated in the negotiations, said: "The negotiations are progressing very smoothly and everything is being done as planned." "Russia and China are expected to sign an agreement on the price of gas next year," he said.　　Gu Jun, deputy director of the international division of China's National Energy Bureau, said in November 18 that there are still differences in pricing between China and Russia over the supply of natural gas, with a divergence of $100 per 1000 cubic meter. In October 2009, CNPC and Gazprom reached a framework agreement on the supply of natural gas, according to the China Economic network. Under the agreement, Russia will deliver 70 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China every year after the opening of two natural gas pipelines. November 1 This year, the oil pipeline between China and Russia has entered the trial operation stage. From January 1, 2011 onwards, China and Russia will fulfill annual 15 million tons of oil agreement.