China, Xi Jinping-Maduro Meeting: Strategic Partnership Established

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is on a state visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The leaders of the two countries met at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday, September 13, and announced the intensification of bilateral relations. Xi Jinping also pledged to protect national sovereignty and resist external interference.

“The establishment of a strategic partnership for all times between China and Venezuela meets the common expectations of the two peoples and is in line with the general trend of historical development,” Xi Jinping said, according to China’s Xinhua News Agency. He also expressed his wish that deeper relations would bring greater benefits and “add more positive energy to the world and global development. China treasures the valuable experiences gained in this process and will continue to promote reform and openness.”

Xi Jinping also explained that Venezuela will be supported in the creation of special economic zones, and experience will be transferred to promote its economic development.

Maduro, in turn, emphasized the importance of the strategic partnership, noting that “China has become a superpower” and that it is always committed to “peace, prosperity, and cooperation of mankind.”