China and Russia have cemented their burgeoning trade relationship with billions of dollars in new deals as the prime minister Vladimir Putin met his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao.
Mr Putin, who arrived late Monday, was also due to meet the president Hu Jintao as the two countries seek closer ties, and attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional security grouping, during his visit.
It is the Russian leader's first trip to China since he took over as prime minister last year, although he visited four times previously as president.
Mr Wen greeted Mr Putin at the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square in a formal welcome ceremony before the closed-doors talks, Chinese state media said.
The leaders will sign several agreements, officials said, including one committing each country to notifying the other of the launch of ballistic missiles from its territory.
The head of Russian gas giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, said a massive gas deal would be signed in the presence of Mr Wen and Mr Putin that would see 70 billion cubic metres of natural gas sent to China annually.
"A framework agreement has been initialled. This document will be signed today," Mr Miller said.
"It will be a long-term contract, about 70 billion cubic metres" of gas annually, he said.
He did not reveal financial details for what he termed the "long-term contract".
About 40 economic deals worth around $3.5 billion were signed early today ahead of the Wen-Putin talks, the Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Zhukov told reporters.
Mr Zhukov gave few details but said the deals included financing arrangements between Russian and Chinese banks, adding that more agreements would be sealed between Putin and Wen.
"I think a meeting between the two premiers will be successful. A whole number of very serious intergovernmental agreements will be signed," he said, without offering specifics on those deals.
The Russian government said earlier that other agreements to be struck include a memorandum of understanding on developing high-speed train travel on Russian territory.
*AFP
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
Jawan
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White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
The five pillars of Islam
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
