OREANDA-NEWS  The 6th Russian-Chinese Energy Business Forum (RCEBF) was held in Moscow. Welcoming words were sent to the participants by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Igor Sechin, Executive Secretary of the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation on the Development Strategy of the Fuel and Energy Complex and Environmental Safety, Chief Executive Officer of Rosneft, Ding Xuexiang, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Alexander Novak, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chinese National Oil and Gas Corporation, made presentations at the opening ceremony of the RCEBF (CNPC) Give me a Houliang.

Maxim Oreshkin, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia, Sergey Tsivilev, Minister of Energy of Russia, Zhang Jianhua, Head of the State Energy Administration of the People's Republic of China, and others also took part in the opening.

The Russian-Chinese Energy Business Forum has been held annually since 2018 in accordance with the agreements reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Over 500 people took part in the events of the 6th Russian-Chinese Energy Business Forum, among them: politicians, representatives of the largest Russian and Chinese companies in the energy and related industries, scientists, academics, experts and analysts.

Igor Sechin read the greeting of the President of Russia to the participants of the RCEBF. According to Vladimir Putin, relations between the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China are dynamically developing in line with comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation. One of the most significant components of these relations has traditionally been energy cooperation, which has recently become particularly intense and productive.

"Bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas, coal and electric power sectors is steadily expanding. Supplies of Russian energy resources to China are reaching record volumes. Specialists from our countries are working together to improve technologies for the extraction, processing and transportation of raw materials, and to increase their environmental safety," Vladimir Putin said.

The Russian President stressed that the Russian-Chinese Energy Business Forum, which brings together representatives of relevant government departments, business and expert circles of our countries, plays an important role in ensuring a direct, constructive dialogue on topical issues of cooperation in such important sectors.

"Among his latest developments, I would like to mention the Atlas of Investments in Russian-Chinese Energy Cooperation, a unique information and analytical platform that opens up new opportunities for the implementation of mutually beneficial joint projects and initiatives," Vladimir Putin said in his greeting.

The President of Russia expressed confidence that the work of the forum would be fruitful, and the ideas and proposals expressed by its participants would be put into practical use.

The message of the President of the People's Republic of China was read by Ding Xuexiang. In it, Xi Jinping noted that thanks to joint efforts, the Sino-Russian relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation are steadily developing. Bilateral cooperation in the energy sector is becoming mature, stable and durable, and brings tangible benefits to the peoples of the two countries.

"At a new historical starting point, the Chinese side is ready, together with Russian colleagues, to further promote mutually beneficial energy cooperation, ensure stability and strength of production and supply chains in the field of energy, and contribute to a more dynamic, green and healthy development of the global energy industry," Xi Jinping said in his greeting.

The Chinese President noted that the Sino-Russian Energy Business Forum is an important platform for establishing contacts, strengthening mutual understanding and promoting cooperation between enterprises of the two countries. "I hope that in—depth discussions around the main topic of the forum will allow its participants to discuss the possibilities of cooperation, exchange information and unlock the potential of interaction in the interests of high-quality development of energy cooperation between our countries," Xi Jinping wrote.

As the head of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, noted in his report, the companies participating in the RCEBF provide up to 40 percent of trade between Russia and China. At the same time, energy accounts for more than 70 percent of the structure of Russian exports to China.

"This year marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and China. Over three quarters of a century, there have been different periods in relations between our countries, but, as our leaders have repeatedly stressed, today they are at an unprecedented high level," Igor Sechin said. In 2023 alone, the trade turnover between Russia and China increased by 26 percent and reached $240 billion.

The head of Rosneft also noted that Russian-Chinese cooperation in the field of energy supplies has no equal in the Eurasian space. In 2023 alone, Russia exported 107 million tons of oil, 34 billion cubic meters of natural gas and more than 100 million tons of coal to China.

"I would like to note a solid package of practical results. The first is the steady growth of energy trade. The second is the progressive promotion of particularly significant projects. The third is the steady expansion of areas of cooperation. The parties are actively working to open new horizons of cooperation in the oil and gas field," said Ding Xuexiang.

Speaking about the development of energy cooperation between the two countries, the Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China noted that it is necessary to systematically promote trade and investment cooperation in the energy sector, unlock the potential of energy cooperation mechanisms, and consolidate the high dynamics of cooperation in energy trade.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexander Novak noted that the Russian-Chinese Energy Business Forum is being held for the sixth time and has become a productive platform for dialogue and the development of practical cooperation between Russia and China in the energy sector. "As always, everything is organized at the highest level!", Novak stressed.

The fuel and energy complex continues to be one of the priority tracks of Russian-Chinese strategic cooperation, he noted. "Russia is playing a stabilizing role in overcoming the global energy crisis," Alexander Novak said. The supply of fuel and energy resources from Russia increases the energy security and socio-economic stability of friendly countries, he stressed.

Novak added that long-term contracts of large Russian oil companies are the key to reliable provision of China with Russian energy resources at fair market prices.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) Dai Houliang said that turbulence is increasing in the international energy market and the structure of trade is changing, so Chinese-Russian energy cooperation is very important for the global energy model.