The representative of the consular department of Russia in China said to GZT.RU, that neither Russia’s diplomats, nor the authorities of the Autonomous Region have no information about the disappearance of the expedition.

In the Chinese press on Oct. 16 were reported of seven missing in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China. Supposedly, they went on an expedition to Mount Kunlun. According to Chinese media, the expedition started on 15 September. The Russians got to the destination, accompanied by a Chinese interpreter, Chang Hoon, who on the same day returned to the capital of the autonomous region – the city of Urumqi.

The last time the interpreter talked with the Russians was October 13. They themselves have contacted him by satellite phone and reported that they were in danger and one of them is sick.

Immediately after this conversation, an interpreter called the police and asked to send in a mountain rescue mission, says Xinhua. To help Russian tourists had been sent a team of five people, which includes doctors and guides.

Any traces of the expedition was not found. Nevertheless, the Chinese side will continue the search, which are complicated by bad weather and lack of roads.

Meanwhile, the head of the consular department of Russia in China, Leonid Ignatenko told to GZT.RU, that the consulate had no official information about the loss of Russia’s expedition. “We are in contact with the authorities in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and they also know nothing about this expedition. They themselves have told us that the missing have learned from press reports “, – told Ignatenko.

He also added that so far not been confirmed not only the disappearance of most of the expedition, but the nationality of its members. “Chinese media say only that they were Russian-speaking”, – added Ignatenko. He stressed that the consulate of Russia following the situation.

Kunlun Mountains is one of the major mountain systems of Asia. It extends from the Pamirs to the Sino-Tibetan mountains. The length of this mountain system – about 2,5 thousand km. Natural boundaries are the Kunlun Yarkand River valley to the west and the Yellow River in the east.

Situation repeats

In the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has already occurred a tragedy involving the Russians. In early September 2007 the alloy boats on the river Yurungkash River lost six Russians.

Interesting fact: together with Vladimir Smetannikova, Sergei Chernikov, Ivan Chernikov, Andrey Pautova, Dmitry Tishchenko, and Alexander Zverev in this expedition involved the same translator – Zhang Hong. He took them to the place of the alloy and returned home. After some time the relationship between Chang Hoon and Russians lost. He reported the incident to local police, which sent rescuers to search for tourists.

In the rescue operation involved Russia and Chinese specialists. During the searches were surveyed about 25 thousand square kilometers area. Alive managed to find two people. Four members of the expedition were perished. The body of one Russians have not been found.

In China, missing not only Russia’s expedition. Thus, in late September in China’s Fujian Province lost 11 guests from other countries (10 men and one woman). In their search teams were sent to police and firefighters. On the nationalities of the missing and their fate is not reported.

Photos from the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Wen Jiabao made this week during the visit of Russia’s Prime Minister to China, reminded the China-Soviet alliance at the dawn of the Cold War, writes Austin Ramzy. However, the signed agreements on the export of Russia’s natural gas showed that it is now most strongly binds the two countries economies.

Each party will extract their profits from energy transactions. Russia’s energy companies will be fastened in China, which in the next five years will become the largest energy consumer in the world, and Beijing will get a reliable and familiar source of resources.

China using its international reserves, now in a recession when prices for oil and gas fell actively acquires materials. So, in August, he signed a contract for $ 41 billion with Australia for the supply of liquefied natural gas for over 20 years. Last month, China’s oil state company CNOOC entered into negotiations with Nigeria on the acquisition of one-sixth of the oil reserves of that African country. This week, from Guinea, it was reported that the ruling junta has struck a deal to develop mineral resources in the amount of $ 7 billion with an unnamed Chinese company.

However, despite the support of the governments of Russia and China, the parties have yet specify exactly how Gazprom will sell natural gas China’s CNPC. In particular, there is still no clarity as to be financed the construction of expensive transmission infrastructure. If the issue can be resolved, then in 2014 Russia will supply to China some 70 billion cubic meters a year. This is equivalent to 90% of the consumption of China in 2008, but it is expected that the demand of the country for energy will grow rapidly over the next two decades. Now in China 70% of electricity produced from low-grade coal, and only 3% – from the cleaner natural gas.

As the author concludes, now China is considering all possible options for the acquisition of oil and gas. Seeing the rapid growth in commodity prices in the past year, Beijing is now trying to sign as many deals as prices are stable. As for the old alliance, Time wrote that former allies in the Cold War might not have lost the desire to counter U.S. influence, but now Moscow and Beijing over economic considerations associated XXI century.