Putin arrives in China

BEIJING, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has arrived in China on a three-day visit during which the two countries were expected to sign a number of agreements.

The visit was expected to produce some three dozen deals valued at more than $5.5 billion and could include a major refinery in the northern city of Tianjin, China Daily reported. The agreement also would cover transportation, mining, finance and telecom sectors.

The two countries also were expected to conclude a missile pact calling on both sides to notify each other of ballistic missile launch plans, China Daily said.

"China and Russia are strategic cooperative partners and the partnership in many aspects, particularly in economy, has reached high levels in recent years," Yu Sui, with the Research Center of Contemporary World in Beijing, told the newspaper.

Bilateral trade between China and Russia has risen sharply, reaching about $57 billion in 2008 from $9.3 billion in 2002. China is the world's third largest economy and Russia is ranked ninth.

Previous agreements between the two countries have included a crude oil pipeline project that is expected to be completed by next year, with supply set to start in 2011.

Putin is scheduled to attend a summit of prime ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a grouping of six Central Asian countries, during his visit to China.