No pipeline agreement after Russian visit to Beijing
05/11/2005 - 13:28:47A visit by Russia’s prime minister to Beijing ended with a joint pledge of possible co-operation in space exploration, but no agreement on a pipeline sought by China to supply Siberian oil for its energy-hungry economy.
A declaration by Russian prime minister Mikhail Fradkov and his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, called for the two sides to increase trade and collaborate in developing nuclear power plants and natural gas.
Wen described Chinese-Russian ties as enjoying their “best period in history”, China’s official Xinhua News Agency said, but there was no indication of a deal on a planned €8.2bn pipeline to export Siberian oil to the Pacific coast.
