Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (R) shakes hands with Russian natural gas company Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller in Beijing, China, March 22, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli met with Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller in Beijing on Tuesday, vowing to improve China-Russia energy cooperation.

Bilateral energy cooperation has continued to progress under the strategic leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to Zhang.

Energy cooperation is of strategic and long-term significance in bilateral relations, he said.

He spoke about the construction of the China-Russia east-route natural gas pipeline and the Yamal liquefied natural gas (LNG) project, and called on both sides to maintain momentum of the projects, adding that discussions should start on new collaborations and cooperation models.

He said the two sides should expand cooperation in product chain integration, oil and gas equipment-manufacturing, processing services,project construction and oil sales.

Miller said Russia attached great importance to energy cooperation with China and that the east-route natural gas pipeline construction was being promoted, as planned.

Russia is willing to work with China to accelerate the negotiation on the western route program, which would elevate bilateral energy cooperation to a new level, said Miller.