AlHijjah 27, 1432, Nov 23, 2011, SPA - Turkmenistan will boost natural gas deliveries to China by two-thirds under an agreement signed Wednesday in Beijing. The agreement will increase annual gas deliveries by 25 billion cubic meters a year, bring the total to 65 billion cubic meters a year. That's equivalent to more than half of China's entire natural gas consumption last year. The gas agreement was one of 14 signed following talks Wednesday between Turkmen President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov and Chinese President Hu Jintao. Others cover loans for the purchase of oil and gas drilling equipment, police training, and counter terrorism, according to a report of the Associated Press. On Thursday, Berdymukhamedov will attend the ceremonial opening of a $22 billion pipeline that will carry Turkmen gas to southern China. The 5,370-mile (8,700-kilometer) natural gas pipeline began operating in June, helping boost supplies to the country's booming industrial zones. It is slated to provide up to 30 million cubic meters of natural gas a year. Berdymukhamedov is in China for a four-day visit, during which he will also meet with China's second most powerful official, Wu Bangguo, and Premier Wen Jiabao. He will also travel to Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
