Asked whether the Chinese side would pay about $25 billion up front for future gas supplies, Novak told reporters in Shaghai: "Up to $25 billion ... The advance is seen as an option, a possibility."
Earlier, Russia's state-controlled Gazprom signed a long-awaited gas supply agreement with China. There were no pricing details on the deal, which is believed to involve Russia supplying 38 billion cubic meters of gas per year to China via a new eastern pipeline linking the countries. It has been unofficially valued at over $400 billion. REUTERS