Sept. 30 — Presenting both an opportunity to address the nations’ respective economic challenges and to rekindle old friendships, Russian and Chinese leaders met in Beijing this week to celebrate the completion of the first crude oil pipeline between the two nations.
“The smooth completion of the pipeline project is a model for the two countries’ mutually beneficial win-win cooperation and a milestone for China-Russia energy cooperation,” Chinese President Hu Jintao said on Monday.
The 999-kilometer oil pipeline linking Skovorodino in eastern Siberia to Daqing in northeastern China is expected to send US$150 billion worth of oil to China over the next 20 years. Jiang Jiemin, president of China National Petroleum Corp., said Monday that the pipeline will be fully functional by November 1.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Tuesday that Sino-Russian ties had reached their “highest point” ever as he ended a three-day state visit to China. Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, Hu Jintao’s heir apparent, said it was the “best period” in the history of Sino-Russian relations.
The geopolitical impact of the pipeline remains yet to be fully seen, but it provides China with another source for its growing energy demands and Russia with an eager buyer as European demand for Russian oil shrinks.
China extended a US$25 million long-term loan to Russia to help with construction when the deal was initially struck in February 2009.
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Putin Opens Sino-Russian Crude Oil Pipeline in Skovorodino
Thats a big plus for China. Getting access to Russian oil. However the main thing is yet to come. Russia will sell land to China, probably part of Siberia. That would be the real victory for China. And then China will lay claim on Arctic. Just wait for the bad times to hit Russia.
@ajay
Return of the Manchus? Imperial Russia grabbed all the land north of the Amur River from the Qing Dynasty in 1858 giving them access to the Pacific Ocean. Recently China and Russia demarcated their boundaries and they are fixed for the time being. The Russian birth-rate is in decline and the white Russians who live out in Siberia are gravitating to the western cities. It is only a matter of time before the USA tries to make inroads via Outer Mongolia and that is when the Russians will have to make a choice. Because they will lack people to populate those colder regions the Russians may lease their eastern lands to the Chinese & maintain some mineral rights or, maybe even sell it like they sold Alaska to the USA in the 19th century.
Something like that but don’t hold your breadth for US to make move. US is high on its own supplies, by the time US will wake up, it will just have the time to leave the scene with dignity. US is already wavering in confronting China, decade will force US out of the scene. US is also boxed just like India was for a very long time.
Once Putin is out of the scene in next 10-15 years, will his successor be a tough leader or the changing demographics and economy will change the status of new leader. China will change its position and Siberia will become the core issue, it will make Russia sell Siberia. I bet Russia will sell Siberia dirt cheap and there will be no American anywhere near the scene.
See the Europe and the USA trying to put a spoiler between China-Russian relations:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/LJ02Ag01.html