BEIJING, October 29. /TASS/. China hopes to continue energy cooperation with Russia and prepares for a new meeting of the two countries’ leaders on the sidelines of the next month's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Beijing, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli said on Wednesday.

“I hope that both sides will put into practice the two states’ shared opinion on expanding cooperation in energy and other spheres, and will prepare for a regular meeting of the two countries’ leaders in Beijing during an informal summit of APEC members,” said Zhang, who co-chairs the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee.

Zhang said he had held a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Arkady Dvorkovich, deputy prime minister and co-chairman of the China-Russia Energy Cooperation Committee.

China will host a series of APEC meetings from November 5 to 11 in Beijing.

The 22th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held on November 10 and 11, and will be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, among others.

Russian gas supplies to China

Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation on May 21 concluded a $400 billion contract on supply of natural gas to China via the eastern route over a period of 30 years.

The contract came into effect on October 13. The first deliveries of gas to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline will start in late 2018 - early 2019.

Western route of gas supplies to China

Russia and China are also negotiating another route of gas deliveries. Gas traffic to China via the western export route may reach 30 billion cubic meters a year, Gazprom’s CEO Alexei Miller told the media.

In 2015 the countries will sign at least three key documents on a project for Russian natural gas supplies to China via the western route.

The western route will carry gas from fields in western Siberia.