Gazprom is slated to start drilling on the Venezuelan shelf this month, but back at home the economic crisis could stymie oil and gas production and development, delaying the Shtokman field project. China and Kazakhstan have signed a natural gas agreement, while China also signed on with Transneft to build and operate a crude pipeline from Skovorodino in Siberia to Daqing in China. Meanwhile, pipeline politics in the Caucasus involve a variety of plans to cut out Russia.