The leaders of China and Russia pledged to deepen energy ties during the first day of a state visit by President Vladimir Putin but failed so far to reach a final agreement to pipe Russian gas to China, signaling that disagreements over price remain an obstacle to the long-stalled deal. Officials from both countries have raised expectations that a deal could finally come together during Mr. Putin’s visit this week to Shanghai, where he and China President Xi Jinping are participating in a regional security conference. The prospect of exporting Russian natural gas to energy-hungry China has been under consideration for years, but pricing has served as a major barrier. Following their meeting on Tuesday, the Chinese and Russian leaders signed a joint statement calling for Russian gas supplies to begin being exported to China as quickly as possible, according to China’s official Xinhua news agency. Mr. Putin will […]