China and Russia are still far from agreeing a price formula for Russian gas supplies at the forthcoming energy dialogue, Gu Jun, deputy director general of the National Energy Administration, said on Thursday.
"Companies from both countries have made a considerable effort during price negotiations, but we should admit that there is still a large difference, which now amounts to about $100 per 1,000 cubic meters," she told a Foreign Ministry briefing ahead of a visit to Russia by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, Deputy Prime Minister Wang Qishan and other officials.
The next round of energy dialogue will take place on November 21.
Jun said China intended to continue the negotiations and hoped the two sides could agree on a price.
Moscow and Beijing have been holding talks on Russian gas supplies to China since 2004 with the price being one of the key stumbling blocks in the negotiations. Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, Russian negotiator on cooperation with China in the energy sector, has said an agreement could be achieved in the first half of 2011.
Jun said agreements on cooperation in nuclear energy, coal mining and upgrade of power grids could be signed on completion of the dialogue.
BEIJING, November 18 (RIA Novosti)
