On Thursday, Russian energy giant Gazprom announced it has inked a deal with China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), for additional gas deliveries to China.

The deal developed on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, during a meeting between Gazprom CEO Aleksey Miller and CNPC Chairman of the Board of Directors Dai Houliang.

On its Telegram channel, Gazprom wrote, “During the meeting, Gazprom and CNPC signed an additional agreement to the gas purchase and sale contract via the East Route for an additional volume of Russian gas supplies to China until the end of 2023.”

China currently receives deliveries of Russian gas under a long-term, bilateral agreement between the two countries. The deliveries arrive through the Power of Siberia pipeline, via a section of the so-called East Route.

When completed and fully operational in 2024, the mega-pipeline is expected to deliver 38 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Russian natural gas per year to China.

Miller had revealed to the press at the forum earlier that Russian exports of gas to China are expected to soon reach the volumes which were previously being sold to the EU prior to the bloc imposing sanctions on Moscow.