In 2023–2024, China supplied the Russian Federation with drone components worth 63 million USD. The list of exported goods included aviation engines, microchips, metal alloys, camera lenses, fiberglass, emulsion binders for fiberglass, and carbon fiber threads. These components are crucial for the production of drones, which are actively used in the war.
This is reported by Business • Media
Gas Negotiations and New Agreements
According to Russian officials, during the visit of the President of Russia to Beijing, an agreement was reached to increase gas supplies to China, as well as a potential construction of a new gas pipeline, “Power of Siberia-2.” However, official Beijing has yet to confirm information regarding the laying of this pipeline. Analysts emphasize that the signed memorandum does not contain legally binding conditions—it does not specify either the price or the timeline for the project’s implementation, thus it is not a final agreement.
In practice, it currently only concerns increasing gas flow through already existing routes: “Power of Siberia-1” (by 6 billion cubic meters) and the Far Eastern route (by 2 billion cubic meters). Regarding “Power of Siberia-2,” China has only expressed interest and readiness to begin negotiations on price and terms.
Resource Constraints and Consequences for Gazprom
Experts from the Russian Institute of Energy and Finance note that the current agreements to increase gas supplies to China are not supported by Gazprom’s resource base. To fulfill its obligations, the company will have to purchase gas from third-party producers—specifically, from Rosneft, Surgutneftegas, and the Irkutsk Oil Company. This means that Gazprom will effectively lose its status as the sole exporter of pipeline gas.
China has not officially confirmed information about the laying of the new pipeline.