Why Is Medvedev, not Putin, in China?
Ariel Cohen /
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in China on Sunday to expand energy cooperation between the two countries. The new deal includes building a 13-million-ton-per-year oil refinery in the city Tianjin within two years. Russia would supply 70 percent of the oil for the $5 billion refinery in a 20-year deal.
In August, Russia opened its section of a 625-mile (1,000 km) oil pipeline from Skovorodino in the Far East to China. The pipe connects Russian oil fields with Daqing, a major oil production region in northeastern China. Russia is also pushing for natural gas deals, but negotiations are stumbling over Chinese demands for low prices. (more…)