[Text/Observer Network Lin Chenli] According to reports from Russia's Sputnik News Agency and TASS, on May 19 local time, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Novak announced that Russia is prepared to increase its annual oil supply to China by 250 million tons through Kazakhstan, and stated that this was a demand proposed by China, which Russia is willing to ensure.

Novak told the media on the same day: "This is a proposal from China, and we are willing to ensure the supply, but for this, specific technical solutions need to be introduced." He added that in this regard, the Russian Oil Pipeline Transportation Company needs to formulate a list of technical solutions for expanding exports through Kazakhstan.

"Specific work needs to be done in the pipeline transportation sector, and a detailed solution list will be formulated by the Russian Oil Pipeline Transportation Company. We are currently pushing forward with this matter," Novak said.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Novak, Russia's Sputnik News Agency

In early May, the Russian government approved a draft protocol amending the intergovernmental agreement with China, raising the upper limit for oil supplies to western refineries from 10 million tons to 12.5 million tons, with the supply period extended up to 2034.

According to the agreement information, the Skovorodino-Mohe pipeline is the priority route for supplying oil to China, but besides the quantity of oil supplied through this route, both countries can also determine other transport routes to supply refineries in western China. The agreement shows that the volume of oil supplies from other directions will increase from 7 to 10 million tons per year to 7 to 12.5 million tons per year, and the supply period will be extended from 5 to 10 years starting January 2014 to 5 to 20 years.

In addition, when asked about the progress of negotiations regarding Chinese enterprises entering Russia's oil and gas exploration projects, Novak stated on the same day that relevant matters are still under negotiation.

"Not long ago, there were talks, and we are still discussing this. Negotiations will continue. Enterprises of both countries maintain continuous contact in all commercial relations. We hope to reach more agreements," Novak said.

On May 9 local time, Novak had previously stated that compared to 2024, Russia will increase its oil, pipeline natural gas, and liquefied natural gas supplies to China in 2025. Progress has been made in the "Power of Siberia 2" natural gas pipeline negotiations between the two countries, and Chinese companies are also interested in the Ust-Luga liquefied natural gas project; the specific share will be determined through consultations.

It is reported that if it is finally opened, "Power of Siberia-2" is expected to annually deliver up to 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas from Russia to China.

The first station of the China-Russia East Route Natural Gas Pipeline, Heihe Operation Area, Guangming Network

China-Russia energy cooperation is an important cornerstone of practical cooperation between the two countries, with energy trade accounting for more than one-third of the total trade volume between China and Russia. Russia's Izvestia mentioned on September 9 that President Putin announced earlier this year that Russia is China's largest import source for crude oil and natural gas, and China is Russia's largest consumer of energy resources.

According to data from China's General Administration of Customs, in 2024, China's crude oil imports from Russia rose to 108.47 million tons, accounting for 19.6% of China's crude oil imports. It was reported by TASS that from January to February this year, China imported 15.47 million tons of oil from Russia, a year-on-year decrease of 12.6%, but Russia remains the country that supplies the most oil to China.

After former US President Trump initiated the "tariff war," some economists predicted that US oil exports to China may rapidly decline in the coming months. In response, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko had previously stated that Russia is ready to supply as much oil as possible to China.

Rudenko told TASS in an interview: "We are prepared to provide enough oil to meet China's needs. I believe that China will first consider its national interests. If they need to purchase oil, we will naturally export oil to China, but this depends on the choice of our Chinese friends. We are prepared to supply as much oil as China needs."

On April 15, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui attended the sub-forum titled "Energy Partnership Between Russia and Asian Countries" under the framework of the 2025 Eurasian Oil and Gas Forum and delivered a speech. According to information from the Chinese Embassy in Russia, Zhang Hanhui emphasized in his speech that energy cooperation is not only the "ballast stone" of practical cooperation between China and Russia but also the "accelerator" for maintaining global energy market stability and promoting low-carbon transformation.

Zhang Hanhui stated that China is willing to deepen the construction of a high-level energy partnership between the two countries and promote high-quality development of energy cooperation. During an on-site interview with mainstream Russian media such as TASS, Rossiya Segodnya, and RT Television, Zhang Hanhui mentioned that China's natural gas market demand is growing rapidly, and there is enormous potential for cooperation in natural gas; China is willing to increase imports of liquefied natural gas from Russia and promote the construction of new cross-border natural gas pipelines.

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