Optimism high for Russia and China gas supply deal

Experts believe Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) will reach a deal this year

Is 2014 the last chance for a Russia-China gas deal? After a decade of high-stakes negotiations over a major natural gas supply deal that would link Russia’s vast undeveloped gas reserves in East Siberia to China’s booming gas markets, talks have reached a critical juncture, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies analysts Jonathan Stern and James Henderson argue in a recent paper.  Stern and Henderson expect Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) to reach a deal this year, finally overcoming years of disagreements over the terms of the deal. After failing to reach a deal last year, the Russian side has said a deal could be finalised when Russian president Vladimir Putin visits