President Vladimir Putin met China's prime minister Friday as China seeks to secure a steady supply of Russian oil imports and Moscow seeks Beijing's backing in its bid for membership in the World Trade Organization. Talks on fighting terrorism were also expected to top the meeting between Wen Jiabao and Putin. "The government of China firmly supports your firm position and efforts ... that you are directing at the fight against terrorism," Wen said before meetings began in the Kremlin. "We are deeply convinced that under your leadership ... your country will overcome recent difficulties and will achieve stability, peace, economic growth and progress." Putin noted that relations were developing "in the best possible way" and trade between the two countries was expected to top US$20 billion this year. Military and technological cooperation was "unprecedented," he said, and demonstrated the "quality of intergovernmental relations." Wen's visit already has yielded progress in the energy sphere: the head of Russia's state-owned railroad network announced Thursday that a Chinese oil company would pay for oil deliveries by rail from the embattled oil company Yukos for October. --more 1415 Local Time 1115 GMT
