China upgrades relationship with Venezuela to 'all weather' partnership
From left are Chinese President Xi Jinping and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. AP-Yonhap
China announced Wednesday it was upgrading its diplomatic ties with Venezuela to an “all weather” partnership, a label reserved for a select few of its diplomatic partners.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is on a state visit to Beijing, his fifth as president, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The two signed a series of bilateral documents for Belt and Road projects and cooperation in the areas of the economy, trade, and education, according to CCTV. China is willing to increase imports of Venezuelan products, Xi said, according to the CCTV readout.
The broadcaster did not give other details on the nature of the cooperation.
Venezuela is also the first Latin American country to join in China's International Lunar Research station, a long-term project that will study the moon. (AP)