Chinese vice premier calls for stronger cooperation between China, Venezuela

BEIJING, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang has called on China and Venezuela to strengthen political mutual trust and expand practical cooperation to constantly push for new progress in bilateral ties.

Ding, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at the plenary session and closing ceremony of the 17th meeting of the Mixed Venezuela-China High-Level Committee on Wednesday.

Ding said China and Venezuela are good friends and good partners, adding that China has always viewed its relations with Venezuela from a strategic and long-term perspective, and bilateral ties have maintained steady and sound development.

China and Venezuela are both developing countries, and the two sides boast a solid foundation, great potential and broad prospects for cooperation, Ding said.

Fully acknowledging the role of the Mixed Venezuela-China High-Level Committee in advancing bilateral ties, the vice premier said he expects the committee to provide more guidance to bilateral cooperation and push bilateral practical cooperation to a higher level.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that the two countries have reached a new milestone in bilateral cooperation, and expressed hopes for more exchanges and cooperation between the two sides to constantly advance bilateral ties.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Eloina Rodriguez Gomez and Zheng Shanjie, head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, attended the meeting.