ALMATY -- The Kazakh Senate has approved a law to amend the country's agreement with China on gas pipeline construction.

According to the press service of the Kazakh parliament on Thursday, the law on the Ratification of the Protocol on Amendments to the Agreement between the Government of Kazakhstan and the Government of China on cooperation in the construction and operation of the Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline from August 18, 2007, is aimed to amend the agreement in order to expand capacity of the first section of the gas pipeline by building the third "C" branch in the same corridor with A and B branches of the first section of the gas pipeline.

The third branch "C" will be built at the expense of Chinese investments without use of funds from the republican budget.

In line with the protocol, Turkmenistan or Uzbekistan gas could be delivered via the C branch of the first section of the gas pipeline for the consumption of southern districts of Kazakhstan.