KIEV, Sept. 2 - Ukraine plans to buy an offshore drilling rig from China to develop its oil and gas deposits in the Black Sea, Energy and Fuel Minister Yuriy Boyko said.

The deal is expected to be signed as President Viktor Yanukovych pays a state visit to China this week.

“We are purchasing the drilling rig from a Chinese company,” Boyko said in an interview with Channel 5 television earlier this week. “We already held a relevant tender.”