Russia is ready to help China in the energy sector — Russia Today
Sergey Lavrov stated that the two countries have the opportunity to deepen cooperation in the energy sector independently of external pressures.
Russia is ready to increase energy supplies to China. This was announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
Citing Lavrov's words, Russian news agencies reported that the anticipated visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to China will take place in the first half of the year. The newspaper "Vedomosti," citing its sources, wrote that this visit will be carried out during the week starting May 18.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping met with Lavrov on Wednesday, reaffirmed friendly relations towards Moscow, and emphasized the need for China and Russia to strengthen mutual trust, deepen cooperation, and protect each other's interests.
Furthermore, US President Donald Trump is also scheduled to meet with Xi Jinping on May 14–15 during his first visit to China in eight years.
According to Lavrov, Russia is ready to provide additional energy supplies to China and other countries to compensate for the energy shortage resulting from the crisis in the Middle East.
"Russia can compensate for the resource shortages faced by China and other countries cooperating with us on an equal and mutually beneficial basis," said the minister.
He also stressed that Russia and China have sufficient capabilities to avoid dependence on US efforts to influence global energy markets through conflicts in the Middle East.
According to Lavrov, existing, reserve, and planned capacities allow for avoiding such pressures, and this is one of the factors that negatively impacts the global economy.
