Venezuela’s Maduro visits China to enhance bilateral ties amid deepening China-West tensions

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is arriving in China on Friday for a one-week visit aimed at boosting cooperation between Caracas and Beijing, China’s foreign ministry said on Friday.

“At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro Moros will pay a state visit to China from September 8 to 14,” foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez visited Shanghai and Beijing this week, meeting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in one of the highest-level China visits by officials from Caracas in years, amid deepening tensions between Beijing and Western capitals.

“China and Venezuela have forged an unbreakable, ironclad friendship, and China firmly supports Venezuela in safeguarding its national independence and national dignity,” Wang said.

“We reinforced our bilateral relationship, expanded strategic cooperation and joint international work for peace and the respect of the UN charter’s principles and goals,” Rodriguez said in a post on social media website X.

Cooperation in the energy sector is likely to be a key focus of Maduro’s trip to secure fresh oil investment from Beijing and discuss a possible joint venture between Venezuelan and Chinese petroleum firms, Bloomberg reported.