Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China on May 19-20 to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation with Chinese President Xi Jinping, including on the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, Ria Novosti reported on May 18, citing Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov. The two sides will sign a joint statement and several dozen cooperation documents.

The Russian delegation will include senior officials and the heads of major companies, including Gazprom, Rosneft, Novatek, Sberbank, VTB, Rosatom and Roscosmos. Power of Siberia 2 would carry gas from western Siberia through Mongolia to China and could add up to 50 billion cubic meters of annual capacity to Russia-China gas flows. Moscow has long sought to advance the project as Europe has curtailed Russian gas imports, while Beijing has slow-walked final commitments because China can use Russia's isolation to seek better pricing, financing and delivery terms.