Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are scheduled to meet on October 31 in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. They are expected to discuss the 'Power of Siberia 2' gas pipeline project.
According to Yonhap News on the 29th, the Singapore-based Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao reported that Yuri Ushakov, a foreign policy advisor to the Kremlin, stated the two leaders would meet during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek.
The SCO summit is a multilateral forum led by China and Russia, involving four Central Asian countries—Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan—along with India, Pakistan, Iran, and Belarus, bringing the total number of member states to ten. This year's meeting will take place from October 31 to November 1.
Ushakov emphasized the significance of the upcoming talks, noting, "This is a very important meeting for us. We will discuss urgent issues to further develop bilateral cooperation, as well as the most pressing international matters."
In this context, Russian news agency Interfax reported that Ushakov mentioned the possibility of finalizing agreements related to the 'Power of Siberia 2' project during the bilateral talks. The 'Power of Siberia 2' pipeline aims to transport natural gas from Russia's Yamal Peninsula through Mongolia to China, with projections indicating that Russia could export up to 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China annually upon completion.
However, the Chinese government has yet to provide specific comments on the matter. Previously, during Putin's visit to China in May, the two leaders held a summit but failed to narrow differences on key issues, including supply pricing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated on the 28th that Xi plans to engage in in-depth discussions with leaders attending the SCO summit on deepening cooperation across various fields and addressing major international and regional issues, maintaining a general stance.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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