On May 21, 2014, President Xi Jinping and President Vladimir Putin of Russia jointly witnessed in Shanghai the signing of the "Memorandum on China-Russia Natural Gas Cooperation Project at the East Line" between the Chinese and Russian governments and the "China-Russia Purchase and Sales Contract on the Natural Gas Supply of the East Line" between the China National Petroleum Corporation and Gazprom of Russia.

As agreed by the two sides, Russia will supply gas to China via the east line of China-Russia natural gas pipelines from 2018. The volume of gas transmission will increase year by year and finally reach 38 billion cubic meters per year. The contract is for 30 years.

China-Russia natural gas cooperation at the east line is achieved under the care and promotion of the Chinese and Russian state leaders, the direct instruction and participation of the two governments as well as the long-term joint efforts of the enterprises of both sides. It is another important achievement made by China and Russia in the strengthening of the all-round energy cooperative partnership and the deepening of the comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and fully embodies the principle of mutual trust and mutual benefit. Both sides will work together to carry out relevant works and ensure a successful implementation of the project.

Wang Huning, Li Zhanshu and Yang Jiechi were present at the signing ceremony.