Vladimir Putin’s touted “friendship without limits” with China has reached at least one limit-Beijing is not committing to a massive new energy project to import Russian pipeline gas unless it’s favorable for the world’s second-largest economy.
Russia has been trying for years to get China to commit to a new natural gas pipeline from the massive fields in Western Russia to China via Mongolia. The proposed Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, despite Russian assurances, is nowhere near a concrete commitment from China on the price and volumes at which the Russian gas would be imported.
