The Deputy Prime Minister said that Russia and China planned to sign a memorandum on cooperation in the oil sphere.

"Seeking to comprehensively address issues in the oil sector, we are drafting a memorandum that stipulates the establishment of a working group to be chaired by Russian Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko and the Head of China's State Energy Administration," Mr Sechin said.

According to him, the Russian-Chinese energy dialogue was proceeding positively.

"Our companies, ministries and departments involved in this dialogue have been working well to streamline cooperation," the Deputy Prime Minister said, adding, "Bilateral cooperation in energy is advancing to a new level."

Mr Sechin recalled that several joint companies were working in the oil sector in Russia and China and it had been decided to build an oil pipeline from Skovorodino in the Amur Region to the Chinese border.

"Transneft has made plans for the offshoot, whose technical characteristics are being coordinated with the Chinese partners," he said.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that they were discussing cooperation in the gas sphere, new power generation projects were proposed, and cooperation in nuclear power generation was gathering momentum.

"All these issues are being actively developed, and we are ready for detailed discussions," he said.

Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Wang Qishan said four rounds of consultations on practical issues had been held and understanding had been reached on several key projects, creating conditions for top-level decisions.

"Relations with Russia will remain a key foreign policy priority for China," the Chinese official added.