BEIJING, June 4. /TASS/. Russia delivered 1.58 bln cubic meters of natural gas to the People’s Republic of China via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline (‘eastern route’) over the past six months, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday with reference to the customs service of China’s border city of Heihe.

The Russian gas supplies are mainly meant for Beijing and the adjacent economic region (the province of Hebei and the city of Tianjin), according to the authorities. The Russian gas is also delivered to the south, to the regions along the Yangtze River. The pipeline runs through nine out of 31 administrative units of the continental part of China.

Import of hydrocarbons to the People’s Republic of China via the ‘eastern route’ started in December 2019. A respective agreement was signed by Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) back in 2014. The 30-year agreement provides for supply of up to 5 bln cubic meters in 2020 and 38 bln cubic meters per year starting 2024.