China and Russia strengthened the interdependency of their two economies on Friday as visiting President Vladimir Putin unveiled a series of agreements, including a new gas deal, during his meeting with Xi Jinping in Beijing at a time when Moscow is facing rising tensions over Ukraine.

Putin confirmed the deal to supply 10 billion cubic metres (353 billion cubic feet) of gas per year to China, which is the world’s biggest energy consumer, from Russia’s Far East via a new pipeline hours after landing in the Chinese capital ahead of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics.

A joint statement that followed the meeting pointed towards the neighbours “entering a new era and global sustainable development”, while it also included a list of documents related to natural gas, technology, trade, finance, agriculture and green energy.

Guest post from South China Morning Post