Beijing digs in with Kazakh pipes

epa01125686 A Gazprom welder works inside the pipe during the reconstruction works on the pipeline Middle Asia - Center in Alexandrov Gai village at the border between Kazakhstan and Russia, 13 September 2007. The pipeline is reconstructed to increase the possibilities of gaz transportation from Middle Asian countries to Europe. EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY

EPA/SERGEI ILNITSKY

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By Wire services

 09 April 2008 06:53 GMT

China will start full-scale construction of the China-Kazakhstan natural gas pipeline and the second phase of an existing crude pipeline this year, Zhou Jiping, vice president of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) said today.

Beijing sees its central Asian neighbour as a strategic partner to secure oil and gas supplies for its fast-expanding economy, while Kazakhstan views the world's second-largest energy user as an indispensible market to diversify away from its Western consumers.

Chinese media reported that construction of the 761-kilometre Kumkol-Kenkiyak crude pipeline extension was slated for completion by October 2009, Reuters reported.

Crude output at fields in Kazakhstan operated by CNPC was 18.62 million tonnes (139.3 million barrels) last year and natural gas output was 4 billion cubic metres, Zhou said at the China-Kazakhstan forum…

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