China, Russia to boost energy cooperation

BEIJING, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia will boost their cooperation in oil, gas, coal and nuclear energy, said a joint communique released Wednesday.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin inked the communique in Beijing after a regular meeting on Tuesday.

They hailed the progress in their energy cooperation, including the ongoing construction of an oil pipeline stretching from Russia's Siberia to its far east, including a sub-line to China's northeast.

The two states signed a roadmap to implement earlier consensus on gas cooperation and a framework agreement on gas trade between major energy companies as the communique urged the two sides to push forward China's imports of Russian gas.

The construction of electricity grid, electricity generation facilities and substations will facilitate Russia's electricity exports to China, it said.

The two governments also voiced support for the two countries' companies to cooperate in such sectors as coal mining and processing and trade of relevant equipment and services.

On nuclear energy, the two sides said it was a priority in their economic cooperation.

The two sides urged the authorized units to step up negotiations on the second phase construction of the Tianwan Nuclear Power Station, the largest project of its kind between the two states.

Located in east China's Jiangsu Province, the station was officially put into commercial operation in May 2008.

The two countries expressed satisfaction over their cooperation on a uranium enrichment factory and vowed to further cooperate in nuclear power, nuclear technology, nuclear security and the transformation of military technology for civilian purpose.