China Won The Privilege

President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that an oil pipeline to be built across Siberia will first go to China and only later to the Pacific coast.

Earlier Japan and China have been arguing over the route of the pipeline of 1 million bpd capacity of Siberian oil.

When the decision on the pipeline was made in December 2004, Russian authorities said that the main pipeline will go to the Pacific Ocean port of Nakhodka from where oil would be shipped to Japan and Southeast Asian countries. A branch pipeline going to the Chinese border would be built as well.

Speaking at a meeting with journalists, Putin said shipments initially will go to China?s oil center in Daqing.

?The Daqing pipeline will be built first,? Putin was reported as telling the group. ?But we will also build to Nakhodka.?