BUSAN (South Korea), November 18 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to pay two official visits to China in 2006.
Presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said in the South Korean city of Busan, which is hosting an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, that the first visit might take place in March, when Russia's Year in China opens. He added that the second visit would be timed to coincide with a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in July.
Prikhodko said the Russian and Chinese leaders had held a bilateral meeting Friday and focused on economic cooperation, above all, in the fuel and energy sector. Long-term Russian energy supplies to China were central at the meeting, he said, adding that China was satisfied with expert-level talks on a route for an oil pipeline to the Far East.
The aide said the two leaders had considered the importance of developing ties between regions and the implementation of a border treaty, and also voiced concerns about the low share of machine building products in bilateral trade.
