Xi meets with Venezuelan VP on cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Venezuelan Vice President Jorge Arreaza here on Friday, vowing to enhance the bilateral strategic partnership. Xi praised late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's outstanding contributions to China-Venezuela relations and asked Arreaza to convey his sincere greetings to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Xi said he hopes Venezuela will score new achievements in the cause of national construction. China is ready to work with Venezuela to inherit their traditional friendship and mutual trust, maintain high-level exchanges, support each other on issues involving their core interests, enhance communications between the two ruling parties and strengthen exchanges of governance experience, he said. Xi called on the two countries to promote cooperation in finance, energy, agriculture, infrastructure, advanced technology, special economic zones and other fields. As for China's ties with Latin American and Caribbean countries, Xi said China is willing to make joint efforts with those countries to establish a bilateral cooperation forum at an early date to upgrade their level of cooperation. Arreaza relayed Maduro's greetings to Xi and said the Venezuelan government and people will follow Chavez's will to continue to strengthen friendly cooperation with China. China's adherence to the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics is encouraging for other countries, Arreaza said, noting that the Venezuelan people admire China for its commitment to the principle of mutual respect in international relations and its great contributions to world peace and development. Venezuela is willing to be an important force in promoting China's cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries, he added. At the invitation of his Chinese counterpart, Li Yuanchao, Arreaza arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for a five-day official visit.