Oct 12 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin visits China from Monday, with deals worth $5.5 billion expected to be signed during his visit.
Putin will also attend a meeting in Beijing of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a grouping of central Asian states.
Here are some facts about the reported deals and broader ties between Russia and China.
THE DEALS
-- The 34 deals that could be signed on Tuesday in Beijing include a $500 million loan agreement between China's Development Bank and its Russian equivalent VEB, and joint projects in transport, infrastructure, construction and mineral extraction.
-- Russia's Sistema group is due to sign a $200 million deal with the Bank of China and telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp.
-- China National Materials (Sinoma) and investment holding company CNBM is due to sign construction deals with Russian cement maker Eurocement.
-- The two also plan an agreement on Chinese involvement in a high-speed railway in Russia, Chinese media reported.
ECONOMIC TIES AND BILATERAL TRADE:
-- China's economy far outpaced Russia's in recent years. It grew as Russian GDP shrank during the global economic crisis.
-- Trade between the two nations soared 38.6 percent last year to $55.9 billion. China is Russia's second largest trade partner after the European Union, and the two sides expect bilateral trade to increase to $60-80 billion by 2010.
-- In the first 8 months of 2009, bilateral trade shrank 36.2 percent to $24.0 billion, Chinese customs data show. Chinese exports to Russia shrank 49.4 percent to $10.2 billion.
-- In June, China, Russia, Brazil and India met in Yekaterinburg for a first summit of "BRIC" emerging economies.
-- China protested Russian customs red tape after the controversial closure of Moscow's Cherkizovsky market, where Chinese traders sold goods allegedly smuggled into Russia.
ENERGY:
-- China is hungry for Russian mineral resources and Moscow is keen to diversify away from Europe for its oil and gas sales.
-- China agreed in April to lend $10 billion to Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft and another $15 billion to state-run oil major Rosneft in exchange for 300 million tonnes of Russian oil to be transported over the pipeline over 20 years.
About 15 million tonnes of crude every year will be sent to China upon the completion of the pipeline, which is scheduled for October 2010. China now receives most of its Russian oil by rail.
-- Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom wants to supply China with pipeline gas. In 2006, the Russian gas export monopoly said it would build two major pipelines to China but the project has been delayed due to disagreements over gas pricing.
POLITICAL TIES:
-- China and Russia share similar stances on many international issues. Both are wary of U.S. military power and have often joined in the United Nations Security Council to deflect tougher action against Iran and North Korea.
-- Moscow strongly backs Beijing's tough position on its restive western regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, and Beijing has also backed Moscow on issues such as Chechnya.
-- The two have a history of mutual rivalry and distrust that constrains cooperation. China and the former Soviet Union split in the early 1960s over doctrinal disputes, and there were brief border battles at the time. They have since settled some disputes over their 4,300-kilometre (2,672-mile) border.
-- Both countries are key members of the SCO, a grouping of central Asian states. Moscow is wary of Beijing extending its economic and security influence into the region.. (Reporting by Chris Buckley, editing by Lucy Hornby and Sanjeev Miglani) ((lucy.hornby@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 6627-1269; Reuters Messaging: lucy.hornby.reuters.com@reuters.net)) ((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))