- Russia, China, and Mongolia signed a 30-year deal for the Power of Siberia-2 pipeline, which will deliver 50 bcm of gas annually.
- Putin and Xi said the pact strengthened their strategic partnership as Moscow stepped away from Europe.
Russia and China have strengthened their strategic partnership by signing a long-delayed energy pact that cements their growing alignment. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Mongolian President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh witnessed the signing in Beijing.
Gazprom, Russia’s state energy giant, confirmed that the legally binding deal will deliver the Power of Siberia-2 pipeline, a massive project designed to carry 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually from western Russia to northern China through Mongolia. The agreement also includes a 30-year supply contract, providing Russia with a crucial new export outlet after losing much of its European market due to the Ukraine war.
Gazprom chief Aleksey Miller said China secured gas at a lower price than Europe had previously paid.
Meanwhile, Putin praised Russia-China relations as being at an “unprecedentedly high level,” underscoring their shared resolve to support each other’s development and counter Western pressure. Xi hailed Putin as an “old friend” and pledged closer cooperation to defend “fairness and justice” in global governance.
The pipeline accord formed the centrepiece of Putin’s multi-day visit to China, his longest trip abroad since the Ukraine conflict began. It highlighted a partnership that both leaders framed as a “new era” in international relations.