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China, Venezuela meet to boost bilateral ties
February 3, 2013, 9:26 am

china-milano

Yu Zhengsheng, CPC party chief in Shanghai (r) and lias Jaua Milano, the Venezuelan foreign minister on Saturday. [Xinhua]

China says it greatly values its ties with Venezuela and will work together with the Venezuelan side to bring the bilateral strategic partnership to a higher level.

Yu Zhengsheng, Communist Party of China (CPC) party chief in Shanghai, met with Elias Jaua Milano, the Venezuelan foreign minister on Saturday.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said last year that China could soon surpass the US  as Venezuela’s number one trade partner due to a strategic alliance between the two countries.

Yu, a Standing Committee member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, applauded the robust growth of bilateral cooperation in fields such as energy, finance, agriculture and infrastructure.

He noted that the cooperation serves not only the fundamental interests of the two peoples, but also the peace, stability and prosperity of the world.

Venezuela stepped up oil shipments to China as part of an effort by President Chavez to reduce reliance on the US as the market for the bulk of its oil.

Yu also relayed Chinese President Hu Jintao and General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Xi Jinping’s greetings to Venezuela’s ailing President, wishing him a speedy recovery.

Echoing Yu’s views on bilateral relations, Milano said his country regards its relationship with China as one of the most important.

He expressed his appreciation for China’s long-term support for Venezuela’s national development, vowing to continue to actively work to push forward the Venezuela-China strategic partnership.

Chavez announced last year that China’s Development bank would inject some $4 billion dollars into development projects in the country.

With inputs from Agencies