The first oil pipeline between Russia and China has become operational. Oil began flowing this morning through the 1000 kilometer long pipeline that links Siberia with refineries in the northeastern Chinese city of Daqing after two months of testing. The pipeline was commissioned today by Yao Wei, General Manager of Pipeline Branch of Petro China Co, Ltd at the China-Russia border county of Mohe in Heilongjiang province. It will supply 15 million tonnes of crude oil to China, a year. This marks the growing ties between the world's biggest oil producer and its biggest energy consumer. The pipeline was constructed with the 25 billion dollar loan provided by China to Russia. The Sino-Russian pipeline is part of the 4,700-km East Siberia-Pacific Ocean line, which is designed to export Russian crude oil to Asia-Pacific markets. Chinese energy experts say that the pipeline will make Russian oil a consistent and long lasting alternative to West Asia and African sources, which currently make up 80 per cent of China's oil imports.