MOSCOW: Rosneft has cut its output forecast for a field that is pivotal to its Asian export strategy, even as boss Igor Sechin pledges more oil for China and seeks cash backing from Beijing to fund ambitious expansion plans and ease debt.

The world’s largest listed oil company by output, Rosneft has cut the forecast for the Vankor field in East Siberia, according to a document obtained by Reuters.

The state oil major declined to comment on Vankor’s future production, but said it would meet all its supply commitments without having to divert westbound oil flows to cover the new Chinese volumes.

Russian oil pipeline monopoly Transneft and some analysts have questioned whether Rosneft has the oil to honor its long-term contracts.

Output at Vankor, which feeds in to the Eastern Siberia — Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline, will only reach 23 million tons (462,000 barrels per day) in 2016, according to a forecast on a regional government web site to which access was blocked.

Vankor will pump 21.3 million tons this year (428,000 bpd) — below a peak initially seen at 25 million tons, according to a copy e-mailed by an official to Reuters.

With proven oil reserves of 1.4 billion barrels, Vankor is the biggest Russian oil field to enter production in 25 years. It is vital for the state oil major to meet its growing commitments to supply Asian markets.

“Rosneft’s production plans will without doubt ensure that all oil supply commitments are met,” the company said in comments e-mailed to Reuters.

“In the event of possible deviations, existing agreements and the most profitable supply routes will be prioritized.”

On Tuesday, Rosneft signed an outline deal in Beijing to supply 200,000 bpd to Sinopec for 10 years, pushing oil sales to China announced by Sechin over 1 million bpd.

Sechin has ramped up supply deals with China to win market share and secure up-front payments he needs to sustain both Rosneft’s ambitious exploration plans and its net debt load of 1.85 trillion roubles ($58 billion).

That borrowing was swollen by the takeover of Anglo-Russian venture TNK-BP by Rosneft, which expects to increase oil production to 4.4 million bpd over the next seven years from 4.2 million bpd this year.

That will not, however, be enough to respond to breakneck growth in Chinese imports, which analysts Woodmac say may reach 9.2 million bpd by 2020.