Venezuela and China strengthen ties on Maduro’s first visit in five years
The Global South socialist nations vowed to work to build multilateralism and support each other’s national development
On September 13, 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Maduro held historic talks in Beijing at the Great Hall of the People (Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China via Twitter)
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been in China since September 8 on a multi-city tour in the country to strengthen political and economic ties with the BRICS member. The head of state announced that he also sought to strengthen multilateral cooperation and integration mechanisms during the trip.
“[We are] ready for what will be a historic visit for the strengthening of cooperation ties and the construction of a new world geopolitics,” Maduro wrote on social media when he landed in Shenzhen on Friday.
Soon after landing, Maduro reiterated Venezuela’s desire to join BRICS alongside China. “Between China and Venezuela, there is a model relationship. It is a model of what should be the relation between a superpower like China, the great superpower of the 21st century, and an emerging, heroic, revolutionary and socialist country like Venezuela,” said Maduro. China is one of the key purchasers of Venezuela’s oil.
On September 13, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Maduro held historic talks in Beijing at the Great Hall of the People. The key result of the meeting was the establishment of an “all-weather strategic partnership” between the two countries, one of China’s highest categories of bilateral state relations. “The establishment of an all-weather strategic partnership between China and Venezuela meets the common expectations of the two peoples and conforms to the general trend of historical development,” Xi said.
Xi proclaimed China’s support for Venezuela setting up special economic zones and said it would share its experience to support its national development. Maduro announced Venezuela’s support for China’s Belt and Road Initiative, Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative.
According to Xinhua News, “Venezuela stands ready to strengthen communication and cooperation with China within multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the BRICS mechanism, safeguard multilateralism and the legitimate interests of developing countries, and promote building a community with a shared future for humanity, according to the Venezuelan president.”
As Maduro said in his meeting with Xi, “The establishment of an all-weather strategic partnership is of historic significance and will surely usher in a new era of bilateral relations.”
