Russia, China intend to strengthen energy cooperation - official

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25/11 Tass 204

MOSCOW, November 25 (Itar-Tass) - Russia and China intend to
strengthen energy cooperation, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko said.
The minister held talks with Vice-Chairman of the National Development
and Reform Commission of China, Zhang Guobao, on Wednesday on a wide range
of issues related to energy interaction.
"During the talks, Sergei Shmatko and Zhang Guobao discussed a wide
range of issues related to energy interaction," the Russian Energy
Ministry's press service reported.
"The sides confirmed their interest in further strengthening and
developing Russian-Chinese mutually advantageous partnership," the press
service said.
Earlier in the day, Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and
Vice Chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission, General Guo
Boxiong welcomed as positive the current level of military and technical
cooperation and expressed readiness for stepping it up in all areas, the
ministry's spokeswoman, Irina Kovalchuk, told Itar-Tass.
Moscow hosted the 14th meeting of the Russian-Chinese
intergovernmental commission on military and technical cooperation.
The two top military officials discussed "the current state of
military relations between Russia and China and prospects for their
development," she said.
Last Saturday, director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical
Cooperation Mikhail Dmitriyev said no contracts were expected to be signed
at the 14th session of the Russian-Chinese inter-governmental commission
for military-technical cooperation.
In his words, military-technical cooperation between Russia and China
may be considered normal. "Its volume is huge," the Russian official added.
"In compliance with the agreements reached at the previous session of
the commission in Beijing last December, we continue our cooperation and
do our best to reach a qualitatively new level. First of all, our
interaction focuses on after-sales service of hardware, their license
production and joint efforts on high-tech military products," he said.
Dmitriyev recalled that China, like as India, was Russia's key partner
in the military-technical field. Until recently both countries' share in
military-technical cooperation has reached over 50 percent. Now owing to
African countries, the Middle East and Latin America it has decreased, but
it exceeds 40 percent. "We value cooperation with these countries that is
why we will develop and step up it," the service's head stressed.
Rosoboronexport director general Anatoly Isaikin said in the past 15
years China was one of the major purchasers of Russian hardware. It bought
weapons at the sum of 2.7 billion U.S. dollars a year. In total, from 2001
military cooperation between Russia and China reached 16 billion U.S.
dollars. China purchased at least 200 Su-27 and Su-30 aircraft, several
battalions of S-300 missile systems, surface ships, diesel submarines,
artillery weapons and armour.
The signing of the first big contract with China in 2009 can prove of
the successful development of Russian-Chinese military-technical
cooperation. The document envisages supplying over 100 aircraft engines to
equip Chinese G-10 planes. Contracts on naval engineering, antiaircraft
defence systems and combat planes are being worked out now.
But there are certain problems in Russian-Chinese military-technical
cooperation. One of the most pressing problems is copying of Russian
weapons by China and Beijing's attempts to sell them in third countries
bypassing Russia. A Russian-Chinese agreement on the protection of
intellectual ownership should help solve this problem. The document was
signed in Beijing last December. At present, the sides should work out
mechanisms to determine intellectual property, means to protect it and
procedures to reveal violations and impose sanctions.
-0-yur