Russian President Vladimir Putin assured his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a visit to Moscow this Tuesday that Russia is capable of meeting China’s growing energy needs.
“Russian companies can meet growing demand for energy in China”Putin told Xi during talks between the two official delegations in the Kremlin, the French bureau AFP said.
Putin said the goal is to supply China with at least 98 billion cubic meters of gas and 100 million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2030.
Russia is the target of sanctions by Western allies for its February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which has hurt the country’s economy, including gas and oil exports.
Since the invasion, about 120 Western companies from a wide range of sectors have temporarily ceased operations in Russia or permanently left the country, hurting the Russian economy, which is looking for alternatives.
Putin has offered support to Chinese companies seeking to fill the niches left by Western companies.
“We are ready to support Chinese companies to replace the production of Western companies that have left Russia”said Putin, quoted by the Spanish agency EFE.
Xi said he wants to “improve cooperation and coordination” between China and Russia, two permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with veto power.
“I am ready to develop a plan with you to strengthen bilateral relations”said the Chinese leader, according to the official Russian translation of his remarks.
Source: DN
