Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov arrived in China Thursday for talks that were expected to be dominated by energy cooperation, dpa reported. Fradkov is to meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and other leaders with Beijing hoping for greater Russian commitment to build an oil pipeline to China through Central Asia. "The energy cooperation between China and Russia is part and parcel of the strategic and cooperative partnership between the two countries," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said before Frandkov's visit. "To build a crude-oil pipeline from Russia to China is an agreement between the leaders of the two countries," Jiang said. Russia has agreed to conduct a joint feasibility study for construction of a branch pipeline to China with the main pipeline ending in Russia's far east, close to Japan. Russian media quoted Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov as saying Monday that the two sides planned to sign up to 17 agreements during Fradkov's visit. The agreements include construction of nuclear power plants, oil and gas exploration, and scientific cooperation. They should help boost bilateral trade to 60 billion dollars by 2009, double the 2005 figure, Zhukov was quoted as saying.
