Russia's annual exports to China amount to 15 million cubic meters of rough timber (37% of Russia's round wood exports). China's share in Russian needle wood exports is 45%.
"The Chinese side has not raised the issue of timber procurement on Russian territory," Valery Roshchupkin said, commenting on media reports that it was possible. "The issue has not been discussed at any leadership level and will not be."
Roshchupkin said the issue of building a paper mill in Russia was discussed with China, but added the Asian giant has not yet made the final decision.
"If such an enterprise appears, it will obtain its forest resource for processing on the basis of a competition," he said.
Russia currently has 43 joint forest projects with China, producing 1.9 million cubic meters of timber annually.
