Putin and Hu ended decades of border disputes

Mr Putin is in the ancient city of Xian after Beijing talks with Chinese leaders including President Hu Jintao.

The two heads of state signed several agreements on Thursday, including a demarcation of borders which resolves 40 years of bilateral disputes.

But there was no pipeline deal, which China needs to improve energy supplies.

China and Japan have been pursuing rival plans to build pipelines to exploit oil from Siberia.

China-Japan rivalry

The Russia-China Business Council, in which Beijing has a major influence, said China was "very interested" in the project.

"With the good atmosphere created by the visit of President Vladimir Putin, we made a gesture on the issues concerning the border and are awaiting a reciprocal friendly gesture," said council co-chairman Hu Wenmin.

However, Mr Putin has said Russian interests will come first in deciding where to build the pipeline.

China is importing as much oil as it possibly can

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao pledged to invest about $12bn (9.75bn euros) in the Russian energy sector during his Moscow talks in September.

The Japanese government has also promised at least $5bn in investment in Russia's underdeveloped Far Eastern region.

Mr Putin has welcomed China's plans to invest in the Russian economy, but urged Beijing to put its money into sectors other than energy.

A pipeline to China would run about 2,400km (1,440 miles) from the Siberian city of Angarsk to the Daqing oil refineries in north-eastern China.

The estimated cost of the project stands at about $3bn (2.4bn euros), but official figures vary.

The route favoured by Japan would cover some 4,100km form the city of Taichet to the Sea of Japan port of Nakhodka. It is estimated that this project would cost four times as much as the Chinese route.

Rich symbolism

On Friday, Mr Putin travelled on to the ancient capital of Xian, a gateway to the north-western region that China is struggling to develop.

Our border is now a 2,300-km long belt of peace, friendship and co-operation Hu Jintao Chinese President

There he is meeting leaders from several surrounding provinces.

Russia hopes that will lay the groundwork for future infrastructure projects combining Russian technology and Chinese financing.

The BBC's Francis Markus in China says Mr Putin has left behind him in Beijing an aura of rich symbolism, with a raft of agreements.

It includes one which finalises the demarcation of their border along the Ussuri river, near the Russian Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk.

"Our border is now a 2,300-km long belt of peace, friendship and co-operation," President Hu said.

President Putin and top Chinese officials also signed 13 documents on a range of deals on issues such as space flights, atomic energy and high technology, and a joint communique on terrorism was issued.

RUSSIA'S FAR-EAST PIPELINE CHOICE Angarsk-Daqing pipeline: Length - 2,400km; Estimated cost - $1.9bn; Capacity - 0.6 million barrels per day by 2010 Angarsk-Nakhodka pipeline: Length - 3,800km; Estimated cost - $5.2bn; Capacity - 1m barrels per day by 2010