China and Venezuela to Establish ‘All-Weather Strategic Partnership’

Following Wednesday’s presidential meeting, Maduro and Xi supervised the signing of 31 bilateral cooperation documents focused on boosting collaboration in areas from oil, scientific development and tourism to “enriching the variety of trade goods.”

The main agreements include [the People’s Republic of] China’s support in the construction of [the Bolivarian Republic of] Venezuela’s special economic zones (SEZs), poverty reduction efforts and boosting the South American nation’s national electric grid, significantly strained due to a years-long lack of investment.

The allied nations likewise signed an agreement between China Meheco pharmaceutical company and Venezuela’s public health system to transfer technology and knowledge for the maintenance of medical equipment, to build and remodel hospital facilities, as well as to supply medicines and materials to the Caribbean country.

In a special broadcast of his weekly program from China, Maduro went on to highlight that Caracas will begin exporting agricultural products such as coffee and avocados to the Chinese market.

One aspect of the new China-Venezuela alliance that caught international headlines was the agreement for space exploration, which will “take the first Venezuelan man or woman to the moon on board a Chinese spacecraft,” said President Maduro. In July, Venezuela became the first Latin American country to join the China-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) to build a base near the moon’s south pole within the next decade.

Additionally, Caracas and Beijing agreed to deepen cooperation between legislative bodies and advance collaboration in industrial, green and sustainable development, mining projects, digital economy, culture and education exchange.