China, Russia set to ink slew of contracts

Nearly three-dozen deals worth more than $5.5 billion combined are expected to be signed between China and Russia during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Beijing, possibly including a major refinery in Tianjin.

The Sino-Russian contracts involve a range of industries, from energy, transportation, mining, to finance and telecom.

Chinese observers hailed the deepening economic bonds between the two countries, which formed an economic partnership in 1996.