Xi, Putin to meet in Bishkek for Power of Siberia 2 pipeline talks: Kremlin

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are expected to discuss the Power of Siberia 2 project in a meeting in Bishkek on Monday, according to the Kremlin.The meeting in Kyrgyzstan’s capital will be their second face-to-face talks this year, following Putin’s trip to Beijing shortly after a visit there by US President Donald Trump.“The issue will be discussed bilaterally,” Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov was quoted as saying on Friday by Russian news agency Interfax.“It will be discussed not only at the level of the [September 1-4] Eastern Economic Forum [in Vladivostok], but also in the meeting with the Chinese leader, which will take place on August 31.”Ushakov was responding to a question on whether the two sides were going to finalise the agreement over the long-stalled pipeline, a flagship project designed to boost Russian gas deliveries to China and further consolidate ties between the two neighbours.The Chinese foreign ministry said earlier this week that Xi would pay a state visit to Kyrgyzstan starting from Sunday and attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit there.