OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper heads to Russia this weekend to talk up trade deals at the annual summit of Pacific Nations to be held this year in the former Soviet Union naval base city of Vladivostok.

Harper's officials expect that, among other things, the prime minister could have a chat with President Hu Jintao there about the potential takeover by a Chinese state-owned firm of Calgary's Nexen Inc. China's CNOOC wants to pay more than $15 billion for Nexen. It would be the single largest investment ever by a Chinese firm but the bid has made many in Canada nervous that it could be the first step for Chinese state-owned companies to snap strategic Canadian natural resources.

Harper may expand on his government's concerns about the Nexen deal specifically and the trade relationship with China more generally during a stop Thursday afternoon in Vancouver on his way to Russia.

In Vancouver, he'll spend 30 minutes on a stage at an investor conference organized by the Bloomberg News agency answering questions from a Bloomberg editor about Canada's economic relationship with Asia.

The annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting is to be held in Vladivostok, Russia on Saturday and Sunday.

It is the 20th annual APEC summit.

The 21 APEC members account for more than half of world's entire economic output and 40% of the world's population.