State arms exporter Rosoboronexport has signed
a framework agreement with China
on the joint development and construction of four non-nuclear
Amur-1650 conventional submarines for the Chinese Navy, a news report
said Thursday.
The final contract is tentatively worth $2 billion
and is expected to be signed by the parties no earlier than
2015, Kommersant reported.
The agreement stipulates for two of the
submarines to be built in Russia
and two in China,
with special provisions in place in the contract to ensure that
no intellectual property is copied from the Russian side, a source
close to Rosoboronexport told the business daily.
An additional agreement for the first stage
of work could be signed by the end of the year, he said, adding
that a Russian contractor had not yet been selected for construction
of the submarines.
China
may become the first buyer of the Amur-1650 submarines, beating out India
and Venezuela,
both of which previously expressed interest, Kommersant said.
Another source close to the arms exporter said
the submarine contract "is very important for Russia
and tops the presidential list of projects with China."
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