Chinese vice president in Venezuela for official visit

Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong arrived on January 28 afternoon in Caracas from Lima on an official visit as guest of his Venezuelan counterpart Jose Vicente Rangel.

Zeng was accorded with a warm welcoming ceremony at the airportby his Venezuelan counterpart.

Zeng said in a written statement upon arrival that his ongoing visit is aimed to further promote friendship, enhance mutual trust, deepen cooperation and common development.

During the visit, he said, he will have an in-depth exchange of views with President Hugo Chavez and Vice President Rangel on bilateral ties and other issues of shared concern.

"I am convinced my current visit will achieve fruitful results and serve to give a new impetus to the China-Venezuela strategic partnership of common development," he said.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1974, Zeng said, the relationship between the two nations has witnessed smooth development and friendship between the two peoples has been increasingly deepened.

Especially since the two established strategic partnership of common development in 2001, he said, bilateral cooperation in the fields of politics, economy, trade, science, technology and education have been continuously enhanced and scored remarkable progress.

Not long ago, President Chavez visited China again and leaders of the two nations reached important consensus on furthering state-to-state ties, Zeng added.

Venezuela is the third leg of Zeng's five-nation tour to Latin America and Caribbean. He had visited Mexico and Peru, and will travel to Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica after winding up his visit in Venezuela.

Zeng is also scheduled to attend the opening ceremony of the first Ministerial-level Meeting of the China-Caribbean Economy and Trade Cooperation Forum 2005 on February 2 in Jamaica.

Source: Xinhua