Russia has agreed to supply China with 475 million tonnes of coal over the next 25 years.

In a new deal between the two countries, China will provide Russia with a $6 billion loan to finance the development of several coal projects into large-scale mines.

Built on a foundation of an estimated $200 trillion in hard assets...

It's one of the largest and most profitable industry markets in the world.

And — if you're willing to invest a bit outside of North America — there may be some very interesting investment opportunities in Russia's massive metals and mining industry.

Gold and silver prices in India hit a new all-time high today.

The price of gold in India reached 19,470 rupees (Rs) per ten grams in New Delhi on healthy buying from jewelers ahead of Akshaya Tritiya, the annual festival holiday during which it is considered auspicious to buy gold. In terms of U.S. dollars, India's new gold price record high is $1,185.54 an ounce.

The World Gold Council reported that Chinese gold demand increased 26% in the second quarter amid booming interest in retail investment demand for gold.

Gold Fields (NYSE: GFI) was upgraded from Equal Weight to Overweight by Morgan Stanley last week.

AngloGold Ashanti (NYSE: AU) is planning to boost gold and uranium production from its South African mines.

Due to a sharp decrease in foreign exchange reserves following the Indo-China War in 1962, the government of India enacted the Gold Control Act.

This legislation made the private ownership of gold bullion illegal and created a huge black market for the yellow metal.

The Gold Control Act was repealed in 1992 after Indian government needed to sell 40 tonnes of the country's gold reserves to deal with more forex problems that had the country on the verge of default.

The Chinese government is making strategic moves that could have dramatic effects on gold's delicate supply/demand balance.

This maneuver could force gold prices screaming higher as hordes of new Chinese gold investors come clamoring into the market.

For investors today, the new measures promise at least two things:

A Chinese silver bull market is about to make history.

And with the world's largest population, increasing silver demand for investment and manufacturing could help drive prices worldwide — and spur significant gains for companies with silver assets in China.