Chinese vice premier meets Gazprom chief

Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (R) meets with Russia's Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 10, 2014. (Xinhua/Ding Lin)

Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli met with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller on Friday, with new energy cooperation deals on the horizon.

Zhang expressed the hope that the two sides would actively advance talks on the western route of natural gas supply from Russia to China.

Miller said he was ready for progress on the project.

He said on a separate occasion last month that the Russian energy company planned to sign a 30-year gas supply contract with China via the western route.

The western route pipeline will connect gas deposits in Western Siberia with the northwestern part of China via Russia's Altai region. China has already signed a contract with Russia on importing 38 billion cubic meters of natural gas annually through the eastern route gas pipeline. Construction of the eastern route began in Russia in September.

"During the talks about new contracts on the western route, a possibility of supplying 60 billion to 100 billion cubic meters is being considered," Interfax news agency quoted Miller as saying last month.