Russia, China sign deals worth $3.5 bn

October 13th, 2009 Russia, China sign deals worth $3.5 billionBEIJING — Russia and China signed agreements worth $3.5 billion Tuesday, but the former rivals-turned-strategic partners were still working on a major energy deal, a top Russian official said. The deals were signed during a visit by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to bolster energy, political and military ties.

October 13th, 2009 Gazprom strikes preliminary gas deal with ChinaBEIJING — China and Russia signed a framework agreement Tuesday that could see a steady flow of natural gas to energy-hungry China from its resource-rich neighbor. It was one of numerous trade and military agreements signed during a state visit by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as the countries overcome traditional mistrust to push ahead mutual economic interests.

October 13th, 2009 Russia, China sign deals with $3.5 billionBEIJING — Russia and China signed agreements worth $3.5 billion Tuesday, but the former rivals-turned-strategic partners were still working on an energy deal, a top Russian official said. The deals were signed during a visit by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to bolster energy, political and military ties.

October 6th, 2009 NEW YORK - Central and East European countries emerged favourites for cross-border mergers in the first half of this year, but India along with China, Russia and Brazil remained popular targets despite the global slowdown, says a new study. In the first half of 2009, US companies made the majority of their high-growth market acquisitions in China with 17 deals, Brazil with 13 and India with 12.

October 5th, 2009 NKorea got $2.2B under failed disarmament dealsSEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has received the equivalent of about $2.2 billion under deals aimed at persuading the isolated nation to dismantle its nuclear facilities, a South Korean lawmaker said Monday, in what his office says is the first accounting of the cost of the failed strategy. The U.S. promised the North two light-water reactors that would produce nuclear power under a 1994 deal to freeze its atomic program, which Washington and its allies feared was meant to create weapons not energy.

September 29th, 2009 BEIJING - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will visit China Oct 12-14 to meet Chinese leaders and attend a Central Asian security summit, China's foreign ministry said Tuesday. Putin's visit was timed to coincide with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Russia, and with a council of heads of government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu told reporters.

September 17th, 2009 CARACAS - Chinese and Russian companies have agreed to invest a combined $36 billion in oil projects in the Orinoco Belt, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said. The president said state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela S.A.

September 10th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia and Venezuela signed Thursday a package of deals, including one to develop the Latin American country's Orinoco oil belt, with estimated reserves of 235 billion barrels of heavy oil. Venezuela's PdVSA state oil firm and a consortium of major Russian producers signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in Orinoco, and a separate memo on establishing a joint venture to develop the Junin-6 field.

July 3rd, 2009 MOSCOW - Moscow and Washington will sign deals expanding bilateral military ties and on transit of military supplies via Russia to the American troops in Afghanistan during President Barack Obama's visit to the Russian capital, an official said Friday. The signing of the pacts will reflect "the political decision on the resumption of full-scale military contacts between Russia and the United States", which were frozen after the war between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia last year, Kremlin aide Sergei Prikhodko has said.

June 25th, 2009 China, Turkmenistan seal landmark energy dealASHGABAT, Turkmenistan — China signed a 30-year deal to increase purchases of natural gas from Turkmenistan by 30 percent, state media reported Thursday — a landmark agreement for Beijing as it competes with Moscow for access to Central Asia's energy wealth. No value was announced for the deal, which also marks another step forward in Chinese efforts to find long-term, stable energy supplies.

June 16th, 2009 Hu: China to loan regional group $10 billionYEKATERINBURG, Russia — Chinese leader Hu Jintao says China will extend a $10 billion loan to a regional group that also includes Russia and four Central Asian states. The move adds muscle to China's role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, which it dominates along with Russia.

June 16th, 2009 Russia may put some reserves in BRIC bondsYEKATERINBURG, Russia — The Kremlin's top economic adviser says Russia may put part of its currency reserves in bonds issued by Brazil, China and India. Arkady Dvorkovich says Russia could make the move if the other three nations reciprocate.

May 27th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russian arms exports are expected to increase by $700-$800 millon in 2009 despite the global credit crunch and considerable fall in arms purchase by India and China, state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Wednesday. "Rosoboronexport sells an additional $700-800 million (worth of weaponry) every year.

May 8th, 2009 EU seeking energy independence from RussiaPRAGUE — The European Union is seeking to reduce its energy dependence on Russia at a conference meant to lock in supply commitments from eight southern gas producing nations. The meeting is to sign a declaration that calls for linking the EU by pipelines to gas-rich nations on the Caspian Sea and beyond.

February 17th, 2009 MOSCOW - Russia and China signed a $25-billion energy deal in Beijing Tuesday under which Russia will pump oil to its energy-hungry neighbour for the next 20 years in return for loans, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin said. Sechin, who overseas energy, secured the deal in a meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao in the Chinese capital.