Energy and weapons, Putin in Beijing to retake Asia
The Russian prime minister and presidential candidate flies to the Chinese capital for a state visit. Top of the agenda energy issues and the stalemate on prices of exports, which the two nations seem to want to solve as soon as possible. A "new relationship" to counter the global influence of West.
Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has arrived in the Chinese capital this morning for a two-day visit, during which he will seek to renew old ties with the Asian giant and put an end to an energy dispute that has lasted 5 years. Putin, who will almost certainly return to the Kremlin as Russian president in May, wants to turn the tables on an overly pro-Western foreign policy pursued by his successor Dimitri Medvedev.
During the visit, the Russian Prime Minister will meet his counterpart Wen Jiabao and Chinese President Hu Jintao. According to Dmitry Mosyakov, who directs the Center for Asia and Australia in Moscow’s Asian Studies Institute "it is a historic visit, which aims to lay the foundations for Putin’s future foreign policy. In the 1990s, Russia focused on the West while leaving Asia behind, which was a mistake. Now we see Russia turning to the East for new markets, new partners and capital”.
Putin is looking for new economic and military allies. The first point is undoubtedly the bilateral dispute over the sale of Russian gas. At the moment, the energy sector accounts for half of Russian exports to China: the Prime Minister wants to expand this sector, which at the end of this year will represent an income to Moscow amounting to 70 billion dollars against 59 in 2010.
The problem at present is the sale price of Russian gas. Beijing wants a reduction in the price and is hoping for an increase in quantity: China is hungry for energy to maintain the pace of industrial production. Currently, Russian gas counts for as much as 25% of EU imports: with a competitor such as China, Gazprom (the energy giant controlled by the Kremlin) will be able to negotiate new and more advantageous agreements with the Old Continent.
Yuri Usahkov, deputy chief of staff of the Prime Minister, said that China "China has become our first trade partner, bypassing Germany, and this is quite symbolic. The task for the visit is not only to expand trade and economic contacts but also to diversify the structure of our relations as the structure itself does not satisfy us". The two share a military and geopolitical vision, and aim to counteract (or contrast) the global influence of the United States. The joint veto on the UN resolution against Syria is proof of this commitment.
But energy is not the only area of negotiations. The agricultural and the communications sector will also be examined by the Heads of State, who are set to sign 17 new trade agreements in both sectors. The military positions has however, for now, been delegated to the Chinese and Russian Chiefs of Staff, who met last week in Moscow and agreed that "the military friendship remains one of the key points of the partnership between China and Russia. "
During the visit, the Russian Prime Minister will meet his counterpart Wen Jiabao and Chinese President Hu Jintao. According to Dmitry Mosyakov, who directs the Center for Asia and Australia in Moscow’s Asian Studies Institute "it is a historic visit, which aims to lay the foundations for Putin’s future foreign policy. In the 1990s, Russia focused on the West while leaving Asia behind, which was a mistake. Now we see Russia turning to the East for new markets, new partners and capital”.
Putin is looking for new economic and military allies. The first point is undoubtedly the bilateral dispute over the sale of Russian gas. At the moment, the energy sector accounts for half of Russian exports to China: the Prime Minister wants to expand this sector, which at the end of this year will represent an income to Moscow amounting to 70 billion dollars against 59 in 2010.
The problem at present is the sale price of Russian gas. Beijing wants a reduction in the price and is hoping for an increase in quantity: China is hungry for energy to maintain the pace of industrial production. Currently, Russian gas counts for as much as 25% of EU imports: with a competitor such as China, Gazprom (the energy giant controlled by the Kremlin) will be able to negotiate new and more advantageous agreements with the Old Continent.
Yuri Usahkov, deputy chief of staff of the Prime Minister, said that China "China has become our first trade partner, bypassing Germany, and this is quite symbolic. The task for the visit is not only to expand trade and economic contacts but also to diversify the structure of our relations as the structure itself does not satisfy us". The two share a military and geopolitical vision, and aim to counteract (or contrast) the global influence of the United States. The joint veto on the UN resolution against Syria is proof of this commitment.
But energy is not the only area of negotiations. The agricultural and the communications sector will also be examined by the Heads of State, who are set to sign 17 new trade agreements in both sectors. The military positions has however, for now, been delegated to the Chinese and Russian Chiefs of Staff, who met last week in Moscow and agreed that "the military friendship remains one of the key points of the partnership between China and Russia. "
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See also
Beijing strategy and Lebanon mission
20/09/2006
20/09/2006
